Notice that Google doesn't refute the allegations. The exact details of the EU investigation haven't been reported, but Google is no doubt still feeling burned after evidence surfaced in the DOJ's 2023 search antitrust trial about its opaque search ad pricing. Jerry Dischler, then GM and VP of Google Ads, testified that Google would increase ad prices by up to 10% when it needed to meet investor revenue expectations. He jokingly referred to the practice as "shaking the couch cushions."
The European Commission on Thursday said it was launching a new investigation into US-based search engine Google amid accusations that the company buries some news sites in its search results as spam. The EU's case revolves around media outlets that include content from commercial partners, for example sponsored editorials. Google is once again facing the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) that regulates online competition in the 27-member bloc.