Preparing for DMA, Google Updates Its Products in the EU Region

Google will soon implement several changes to how its products work, including search, in the European region. This overhaul is carried out in an anticipation of the implementation of the new European Union regulation, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which will come into effect in March.

Reasons Behind the Update

Under the DMA, Google is categorized as a "Gatekeeper" or a company with significant market power. Therefore, Google needs to comply with several regulations established in the DMA.

The changes made are Google's response to the DMA to create a fairer and more competitive digital environment in the European Union.

DMA prohibits "Gatekeeper" companies like Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, and others from forcing users into their services or limiting competition from other parties.

Some parties welcome Google's move and see it as a step towards a more open and democratic digital ecosystem.

Updates in the European Region

Although these updates do not apply in the Indonesian region, it is important to be aware of the changes made by Google. Here are the changes that will begin to be implemented in the coming weeks:

1. Additional Consent for Linked Services

Google users in Europe will be presented with additional consent notices. These notices will ask whether they allow certain Google services to continue sharing data between services for specific purposes.

If services are not linked, some features may be restricted or even unavailable. Users can change their choices at any time through their Google Account settings.

Linked Google services may include Search, YouTube, Ad Service, Google Play, Google Maps, Google Shopping, and Chrome.

The impact of this update is that when users do not link the above services to each other, some features will not be available.

For example, if a user uses Search and Google Maps that are not linked, the reservation feature will not be accessible directly through Google Search.

2. Search Results Changes

Another significant change can be found in the appearance of user SERPs. For instance, when users search for hotels, Google will display a number of relevant hotels from both organic search results and ads.

With the DMA, Google is required to display other results to facilitate user comparison through a comparison section in Google SERPs.

Google will also introduce specialized units that display a collection of links to price comparison and product sites from across the web. This feature can assist users in comparing offers from various sellers.

As a consequence of this overhaul, some existing features such as Google Flights units will be removed from the search page.

Google argues that these features are replaced by specialized units and search shortcuts deemed more relevant and beneficial to users.

3. Choice Screen

Google is also adding a choice screen for Android users. This allows users to more easily switch from Google to other search engines. Thus, they have the option to use a search engine according to their preference.

4. Data Portability

To meet new requirements related to data transfer to third-party applications or services, Google will soon test Data Portability API for developers. This feature will make it easier for users to transfer their data from Google services to other platforms.

In recent months, Google has been collecting feedback from the European Commission and other figures such as developers, advertisers, and companies that may be affected by these changes.

While Google supports the main goals of the DMA, namely increasing consumer choice and interoperability, they are concerned about some specific rules that could potentially limit business freedom to innovate and compete in the digital ecosystem.

Discover more on the Google page.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that as a Gatekeeper company, Google will consistently adjust its products to align with the DMA mission in the European Union, which is to create a fairer and more competitive digital environment.

With the above updates, users are expected to experience greater benefits from their search activities.