Google Revises EU Spam Policy Amid Antitrust Scrutiny

On August 28, Alphabet’s Google announced that, beginning August 30, it will no longer apply manual actions that demote websites under its site-reputation-abuse policy to users in the 27 EU member states, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein (the European Economic Area). The underlying policy itself will remain unchanged outside the EEA.

Google changes EU spam policy to avert antitrust fine

Google’s site-reputation-abuse policy targets “parasite SEO,” the practice of publishing third-party pages on a host site to exploit the host’s search-ranking signals. EU regulators said monitoring showed the policy demoted news media and other publishers when their sites included content from commercial partners. The European Commission opened an investigation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), legislation intended to curb the market power of large technology platforms and to ensure fair competition in digital markets.

Google changes EU spam policy amid threat of antitrust action ReutersGoogle changes EU spam policy to avert antitrust fine Google Revises EU Spam Policy Google Changes EU Spam Policy After Publisher Ranking Concerns

• August 28 – Google publicly announces the upcoming policy change.

Google changes EU spam policy amid threat of antitrust action

• August 30 – Scheduled date when manual demotions will cease for sites in the EEA.

Google changes EU spam policy to avert antitrust fine

Google stated that the adjustment applies only within the EEA and that the broader spam-policy framework will stay the same elsewhere. The European Commission, through spokesman Thomas Regnier, welcomed the repeal, noting that the change prevents press publications from being penalised solely for hosting third-party content and that the Commission will monitor compliance with the DMA.

Google changes EU spam policy to avert antitrust fine

• Affected jurisdictions: 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein (30 countries total).

Google Revises EU Spam Policy

• Potential penalty under the DMA: fines of up to 10 % of a company’s global annual turnover for breaches.

Google changes EU spam policy amid threat of antitrust action

The revision gives publishers that host third-party material a clearer path to maintain search visibility in Europe, reducing the risk of ranking penalties that could affect traffic and revenue. By aligning its practice with the DMA, Google aims to avoid a substantial antitrust fine and to demonstrate cooperation with EU competition authorities. Ongoing monitoring by the Commission will determine whether the new approach fully satisfies regulatory expectations.

Google Revises EU Spam Policy

• “Thanks to the DMA, Google Search will no longer demote press publications solely for hosting third-party content,” — Thomas Regnier, EU commission spokesman

Reuters

• “Thanks to the DMA, Google Search will no longer demote press publications solely for hosting third-party content. The Commission will now monitor the application of the new policy to ensure it is compliant with the DMA.” — Thomas Regnier, EU commission spokesman

Google Changes EU Spam Policy After Publisher Ranking Concerns