Google warns of lower quality as it revamps European search results

Google says changes it is making to European search results to comply with EU rules will make results worse, according to a Reuters exclusive and Google statements.

Reuters reports that Google is revamping its European search results to avoid further EU fines, and that the company itself warns the mandated changes will lower result quality. Google has publicly said the EU-mandated changes will worsen search results for European users.

The reports rely primarily on Reuters reporting and Google statements. The exact European Commission enforcement decision behind the changes and the implementation timetable have not been independently confirmed from Commission primary sources while preparing this article.

Our opinion

There is genuine irony in a company arguing that regulation will make its product worse while complying with rules designed to give rivals a chance. The risk is that European users become the test population for a settlement negotiated in their name. Independent confirmation of the Commission’s requirements, and honest measurement of result quality after the changes, matter more than either side’s press releases.