Google is implementing a significant reduction in search quality for European users to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This move follows a series of antitrust clashes and fines, including an €890 million penalty imposed in July for competition breaches across Search and the Play Store, of which €460 million specifically targeted the preferential treatment of its own travel and shopping services.
The company is now rolling out changes that Nick Fox, a Google official, describes as the largest reduction in service quality in the search engine's 29-year history. For users in the EU, travel-related searches—such as those for hotels and flights—will no longer feature instant pricing or real-time availability. Instead, the interface will prioritize links to specialized search engines and comparison services at the top of the page. Below these, a carousel of options will appear without live data, with rankings determined strictly by the search algorithm rather than Google's business interests.
This shift is a direct response to the European Commission's mandate against "self-preferencing." While Google argues that these changes degrade the user experience and boost online intermediaries at the expense of local businesses, the EU views them as essential for a level playing field. The company has until September 23 to fully comply, after which it faces potential periodic penalty payments of up to 5% of its global annual revenue.
This latest escalation follows previous mandates where the EU forced Google to open Android and share search data for AI and limit the monopoly of its ecosystem. The impact is already tangible: Google previously reported a 30% drop in free direct booking traffic due to EU-mandated changes in 2024.
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