Alphabet (GOOG, Financial) unit Google has rolled out a fresh “Option B” proposal to tweak its search‐results layout, aiming to appease rivals and the European Commission under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), just days before a pivotal Brussels workshop.
In March, Brussels accused Google of favoring its own vertical offerings—Shopping, Hotels and Flights—in general search results, breaching DMA rules on impartial treatment of third‐party services. Last week, Google floated a plan to add a Vertical Search Service (VSS) box at the top of search pages, linking to specialist engines for travel and hospitality.
Under the newly disclosed Option B, Google would complement the VSS box with a second “supplier” box directly beneath it, featuring free, algorithmically organized links to hotels, restaurants, airlines and transport providers.
According to documents sent by the Commission, this dual‐box arrangement is intended to give competitors visibility while sidestepping characterizations of the feature as a Google‐owned service. Google's spokesperson says the company has “made hundreds of alterations” to comply with the DMA, but warns that the new rules risk “worse online products and experiences for Europeans.”
The DMA empowers Brussels to fine gatekeepers up to 10 percent of global turnover for non-compliance. Google, designated a gatekeeper alongside Amazon (AMZN, Financial), Apple (AAPL, Financial), Meta (META, Financial), Microsoft (MSFT, Financial) and ByteDance, faces its first DMA workshop on July 7–8 in Brussels, where its proposals will be scrutinized by both competitors and regulators. Failure to secure buy-in could trigger a substantial penalty and force more drastic overhauls to Google's core search business.
With the July workshop looming, Google's Option B is its latest bid to strike a middle ground—balancing regulatory demands for neutrality with the need to preserve its search-driven ad revenue model.
