Google Tests Removing EU News Content from Search Feeds in 'Time-Limited Trial'
During the second week of November, Google began testing EU Copyright Directive compliance by excluding news publishers in eight European countries from search results, affecting 1% of users temporarily.
The test will remove EU-based news content from Google News, Search, and Discover for select users of Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. It will be an experiment to collect data on how users would act and engage when the news content is not shown a probable reason behind regulatory decisions.
While it was paused in France due to a court order, the test puts a spotlight on continued tensions between tech platforms and media organizations over fairly compensating for content under the EU Copyright Directive; the results could shape how news content is managed on search engines across Europe.
Test Across Eight Countries
The test, applicable to Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, and Spain, is going to affect about one percent of users in these regions. For such users, Google News, Search and Discover will not include content from news publishers based in the European Union for an unspecified period.
The other 99 percent won’t see any difference in search results. According to Google, the experiment will provide data to regulators and publishers that may help draw conclusions on how the inclusion or exclusion of news content affects user habits and engagement.
The experiment was first scheduled to start in France but was put on hold by the court order after protests by the French Union of Magazine Press Editors (SEPM), citing it as a violation of commitments made by Google to France’s competition authority not to modify protected content presentation.
Court-Ordered Pause in France
The decision of the Paris court included a possible fine against Google of up to €900,000 per day in case it did not suspend the test. Google said, “We are reviewing the court order and pausing the launch of the test in France for the time being.”
The company was then taken aback by SEPM’s stance, saying that the economic data had been the union’s request in the first place. Google insisted that the testing was part of the extensive licensing program under the EU Copyright Directive to answer regulatory demands and remunerate news publishers equitably.
The continuous experiment shows a tightrope balancing act between the tech platforms, regulatory compliances, and interests of media organizations. While Google undergoes these challenges, the test results could shape future discussions on news content visibility in search engines across Europe.
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