EU Antitrust Probe Google News Rankings
EU antitrust probe Google opened under the Digital Markets Act, raising enforcement and compliance risk that could reshape investor positioning and flows.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- European Commission opened a formal antitrust probe into Google's news rankings under the Digital Markets Act.
- Probe examines whether Google's spam policy or algorithms demoted publishers, reducing traffic and advertising revenue.
- Investors face heightened compliance costs and enforcement risk, including fines up to 10% of global annual turnover.
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The European Commission opened an antitrust probe on Nov. 13, 2025, into Alphabet Inc.’s Google (GOOG, GOOGL) to examine whether its search-ranking practices disadvantage news publishers and expose the company to enforcement risks under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Commission Opens Formal Probe and Enforcement Stakes
The investigation focuses on whether Google’s search-ranking behavior complies with the DMA, which requires designated "gatekeeper" platforms to treat business users fairly and avoid self-preferencing. The Commission is scrutinizing whether Google’s spam policy or other algorithmic changes have demoted or effectively hidden news publishers’ pages in search results.
European news organizations have filed complaints alleging these ranking shifts have reduced their visibility, cutting traffic and advertising revenue. The Commission has warned that serious DMA violations can lead to fines of up to 10% of a company’s global annual turnover, with higher penalties for repeat offenses.
The probe could set a precedent for enforcing the DMA against major digital platforms, increasing regulatory risk for Alphabet and influencing investor assessments of the company’s compliance costs and oversight exposure. The Commission has not disclosed a timeline for the investigation or any interim remedies. Google and Alphabet have not issued official statements on the matter.
