Google must use an objective, non-discriminatory mechanism to rank and...
Google must use an objective, non-discriminatory mechanism to rank and display search results, including links to its own products, the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) said Monday. It has now become a formal party in the European Commission’s probe into Google’s…
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potential abuse of dominance in online search, and published a paper on the issues and possible solutions from the consumer perspective. The EC is concerned about four aspects of Google’s business practices, BEUC said: vertical search, indexing third-party content, search advertisements and AdWords. Vertical search is consumers’ main concern, it said, because the search engine shouldn’t display its own “vertical” content, such as Google Maps, more prominently than rivals’ products. “This is the stumbling block for an early resolution and the issue which could prevent a complete settlement of the case,” it said. Google can address search ads and AdWords fairly easily, BEUC said. They're mostly contract issues and don’t implicate the company’s presentation of search results. Similarly, the issue of indexing third-party content is also fairly easy to solve if Google stops indexing things such as user reviews for display in its vertical service or general search results. However, BEUC said, that raises the question of whether the search giant would need authorization to index other forms of content in advance. Any remedies must focus on consumer welfare and effectively wipe out anticompetitive behavior, the organization said. Above all, Google “must be even-handed,” holding all services, including its own, to the same standards and using the same crawling, indexing, ranking, display and penalty algorithms. Other recommendations included: (1) Ensuring that Google clearly and conspicuously label its own content and services, not in any enhanced format. (2) Barring Google from penalizing legitimate websites for illegitimate or anticompetitive reasons. Where there are legitimate reasons, penalty or demotion criteria must be applied equally across all websites and services, including Google’s own. (3) Preventing the search engine from coercing others into accepting exclusive terms in contracts or agreements related to its dominant products, including search, paid search advertising services and the Android operating system. BEUC also urged the EC to consider structural conditions such as splitting Google’s different services and assets. Finally, it said, compliance with EC rules must be monitored via annual certifications, technical monitors and significant fines for noncompliance.