EU Escalates Probes into Google Under Digital Markets Act

The European Commission has escalated its regulatory oversight of Alphabet's Google, launching multiple investigations that could result in substantial fines for the tech giant under the bloc's Digital Markets Act. Sources familiar with the probes indicate that penalties may arrive as early as next year, targeting practices in search results, app distribution and artificial intelligence content usage.

In one case, regulators charged Google in March with favoring its own services, including Google Shopping, Google Hotels and Google Flights, over competitors in search results. This self-preferencing violates DMA rules designed to prevent dominant platforms from promoting their products at the expense of rivals. Vertical search engines specialized in sectors like travel and hospitality, along with hotels, airlines and restaurants, have complained that Google's algorithms disadvantage them by prioritizing the company's offerings. Since the charges, Google proposed adjustments to its search display in October, but officials view these as insufficient to restore fair competition. People with direct knowledge said the Commission plans to impose a fine next year unless further...