Google is testing a major change in its relationship with publishers, regulators, and news readers: it will remove news articles from European Union-based publishers from Search. This test is designed to assess the impact on traffic and the overall search experience. However, not all users will see the changes—Google will only remove EU news articles from search results, Google News, and Discover for one percent of users in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain.
The Reason for the Test
Google claims it’s running this “time-limited” test because EU regulators and publishers have requested more data on the effect of news content in Search. The company says it will continue showing results from websites and publishers outside the EU. Once the test concludes, Google will resume showing results from EU news publishers.
A Warning for EU Publishers?
While the experiment may seem small, it could signal future shifts. By the end of the test, EU news publishers will clearly see how much traffic they would lose without Google. The test might also give Google insight into how much its users value news. Facebook faced a similar situation and responded by removing its “News” tab and ceasing payments to publishers.
Google’s History with News Regulations
Over the years, Google has resisted regulations that would require it to compensate publishers for their content. In the EU, the company must comply with the European Copyright Directive. This law has led Google to license content from hundreds of publishers in the region. Earlier this year, France fined Google $272 million after the company violated an agreement regarding compensation for news publishers.
Global Context of Google’s Actions
Google recently removed links to California news outlets in response to the state’s Journalism Preservation Act. The company also threatened to remove links to local news outlets in Canada and nearly pulled its search engine from Australia over similar legislation. If this test in the EU is a precursor to broader changes, Google might implement even more significant actions in the future.