EVENT DOSSIER
In response to penalties for violating the EU’s Digital Markets Act, Google significantly adjusted its online search results in Europe on September 8, 2026. This adjustment was seen as the most significant degradation in the quality of search services over the company’s 29-year history. After the adjustment, vertical search engines such as Expedia and Booking.com will receive higher display priority, companies that only provide links will be placed later, and key features such as real-time prices were removed. Google had already been fined 460 million euros for violating the act; the European Commission required it to complete the adjustments within 60 days, otherwise it would face periodic fines of 5% of its global turnover. This adjustment led to a decrease in free direct booking traffic for local businesses and caused dissatisfaction among millions of users.
谷歌于周二大幅调整欧洲在线搜索结果，以满足欧盟反垄断监管要求，此举被其高管称为公司 29 年搜索史上幅度最大的服务质量降级。调整后，垂直搜索引擎（如 Expedia、Booking.com）将获得更高展示优先级，而仅以链接形式出现的企业将被排后，且实时价格等关键功能被取消。此前谷歌因违反《数字市场法案》被处以 4.6 亿欧元罚款，欧盟委员会要求其 60 天内整改，否则面临全球营业额 5% 的定期罚款。谷歌表示，此次调整将降低用户体验并推高欧洲企业成本，导致本地企业免费直接预订流量进一步下降，同时引发数百万用户因需重新输入关键词而高度不满。