Google changed how search works in Europe on Tuesday. Then it told everyone the new version is worse.
Foo Yun Chee reported the rollout for Reuters, which had the story first. The company is complying with an order from the European Commission, and it is doing so while describing the result as the biggest quality drop in the 29-year history of its search engine. That characterisation came from a Google official who was not named.
The layout is the remedy. One specialised search engine now sits at the top of the page. Two more follow it with fewer details attached. Below those comes a carousel of hotels, airlines and restaurants, and Google has stripped features out of it, including real-time prices. Google’s algorithm still decides the order.
What Brussels actually ordered
In July the Commission fined Google €460m for favouring its own services in shopping, hotels, transport and sports results. The finding was self-preferencing, which the Digital Markets Act prohibits for designated gatekeepers.
