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Google modifies EU spam policy to address antitrust concerns
Google has announced changes to its spam policy within the European Economic Area (EEA) to address antitrust concerns raised by the European Commission. The adjustment specifically targets the enforcement of its site reputation abuse policy, a practice aimed at preventing “parasite SEO” where third-party content is hosted on established domains to manipulate search rankings.
Following an investigation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), regulators found that Google’s policy was demoting news media and other publishers when they hosted content from commercial partners. To mitigate potential fines, which can reach up to 10% of a company's global annual turnover, Google will no longer apply manual demotions for site reputation abuse to users located in the 27 EU member states, Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein.
The policy itself remains unchanged for users outside the EEA. For those within the EEA, the impact of manual actions will be mitigated, though Google noted that affected sections of a site may eventually be treated as independent entities in its systems to maintain search quality.
Entities
Alphabet · European Commission · European Economic Area · Google
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 8 SOURCES] Monitoring showed Google's spam policy demoted news media and publishers when they included content from commercial partners. vosveteit.zoznam.sk · www.timesnownews.com · financije.hr · news.tuoitre.vn · stratnewsglobal.com · +3 more
- [● 11 SOURCES] Google will not enforce manual actions for site reputation abuse within the European Economic Area (EEA). vosveteit.zoznam.sk · www.seroundtable.com · www.timesnownews.com · financije.hr · news.tuoitre.vn · +6 more
- [● 9 SOURCES] The European Commission opened a formal investigation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) regarding Google's practices. vosveteit.zoznam.sk · www.timesnownews.com · financije.hr · news.tuoitre.vn · stratnewsglobal.com · +4 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] The site reputation abuse policy will remain enforced for users outside the EEA. www.seroundtable.com · www.timesnownews.com · financije.hr · news.tuoitre.vn · stratnewsglobal.com · +5 more
- [● 3 SOURCES] The policy change regarding manual actions in the EEA is effective August 30, 2026. www.seroundtable.com · www.timesnownews.com · searchengineland.com
- [● 8 SOURCES] Breaches of the Digital Markets Act can result in fines of up to 10% of a company's global annual turnover. vosveteit.zoznam.sk · www.timesnownews.com · financije.hr · news.tuoitre.vn · stratnewsglobal.com · +3 more