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There\u2019s an active debate in some countries about whether to adopt new rules that single out a handful of leading technology services. While these prescriptive laws seek to promote competitive digital markets, they can involve trade-offs that raise prices and limit choice for consumers and businesses. We wanted to share some of the concerns we\u2019re hearing following changes we\u2019ve made to comply with Europe\u2019s recently enacted Digital Markets Act (DMA).<\/p>\n
Under the DMA, we\u2019ve had to remove useful Google Search features for flights, hotels and local businesses. This means that if you search for a flight in Europe, we can no longer show a full array of information about carriers, flight times and prices. This benefits a small number of online travel aggregators, but harms a wider range of airlines, hotel operators and small firms who now find it harder to reach customers directly.<\/p>\n
We introduced these types of Google Search features to help consumers, making it easier for people to access accurate information. There\u2019s now more friction when you search for a flight on Google in Europe. And there\u2019s a greater risk that you\u2019ll end up on a travel website advertising a low fare that jumps just before you make a purchase, with a message like \u201cthis fare is no longer available.\u201d<\/p>\n
Here are a few other things we\u2019re seeing across countries where DMA changes have been introduced:<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve always been focused on improving Google Search to help people quickly and easily find what they\u2019re looking for. We developed Google Images to show a photo instead of just a link to a photo. We launched Google Maps to help you find a local business, not just websites that mention its address. And we developed ways to make it easy for people to directly connect with airlines, hotels, and merchants, saving time and money. These features also help a lot of independent companies, including small businesses, compete with large, successful websites.<\/p>\n
Rules that roll back some of these advances represent a fundamental shift in competition policy. We encourage other countries contemplating such rules to consider the potential adverse consequences \u2014 including those for the small businesses that don\u2019t have a voice in the regulatory process.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ll continue to be transparent about our DMA compliance obligations and the effects of overly rigid product mandates. In our view, the best approach would ensure consumers can continue to choose what services they want to use, rather than requiring us to redesign Search for the benefit of a handful of companies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n