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Google Tweaks EU Spam Policy Amid Antitrust Probe
28 Aug
Summary
- Google modified its European spam policy to address EU antitrust concerns.
- The policy change affects how Google demotes sites with commercial partner content.
- This action aims to prevent potential antitrust fines under the Digital Markets Act.
Alphabet's Google announced on August 28, 2026, a significant adjustment to its spam policy specifically for Europe. This move comes in response to concerns raised by EU regulators and publishers regarding the company's site reputation abuse policy. This policy had been criticized for potentially demoting news media and other publishers' content in Google search results when it included material from commercial partners.
Effective August 30, 2026, Google will cease applying manual actions related to this policy within the 27 EU nations, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein. The company emphasized that the policy will remain in place outside the European Economic Area. The European Commission had initiated an investigation into the policy under the Digital Markets Act, a framework designed to regulate Big Tech, with potential fines reaching 10% of global annual turnover for breaches.
