Google complies with EU rules for travel searches, says the new results stink
Google complies with EU rules for travel searches, says the new results stink
谷歌遵守欧盟旅游搜索新规，却称搜索结果质量大打折扣
As the world’s largest search engine, Google is often a target of Europe’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which seeks to rein in Big Tech. The European Commission hit Google with a hefty 460 million euro ($543 million) fine in July for preferring its own services in searches for travel and shopping. Google has now made changes in accordance with the European Union’s wishes, but it claims the result is a massive reduction in search quality.
作为全球最大的搜索引擎，谷歌经常成为欧盟《数字市场法案》（DMA）的目标，该法案旨在约束大型科技公司。今年7月，欧盟委员会对谷歌处以4.6亿欧元（约合5.43亿美元）的巨额罚款，原因是其在旅游和购物搜索中偏袒自家服务。目前，谷歌已按照欧盟的要求进行了调整，但该公司声称，此举导致搜索质量大幅下降。
If you don’t live in Europe and perform a search for, say, hotels, Google will helpfully provide myriad sponsored links, booking recommendations, and price-comparison tools in its results. The problem is that this content isn’t organic—Google includes links and offers contingent on its business interests. To get to the regular search results for these types of lucrative searches, you have to scroll way down the page. Companies that partner with Google can get more exposure, but the European Commission says this creates an unlevel playing field.
如果你不在欧洲，当你搜索酒店等信息时，谷歌会在搜索结果中提供大量赞助链接、预订建议和价格比较工具。问题在于，这些内容并非自然搜索结果——谷歌包含的链接和优惠是基于其商业利益的。对于这类高利润的搜索，你必须向下滚动很长一段页面才能看到常规搜索结果。与谷歌合作的公司可以获得更多曝光，但欧盟委员会认为这造成了不公平的竞争环境。
“To comply with DMA requirements, we’re making significant changes to Search in Europe,” Google’s Nick Fox told Reuters. “These changes degrade the user experience for Europeans, boosting online intermediaries at the expense of local businesses and removing helpful features people rely on every day.”
谷歌高管尼克·福克斯（Nick Fox）在接受路透社采访时表示：“为了符合DMA的要求，我们正在对欧洲的搜索服务进行重大调整。这些变化降低了欧洲用户的体验，在牺牲本地企业利益的同时助长了在线中介，并删除了人们日常依赖的实用功能。”
For Google users in Europe, features like instant pricing and availability for hotels and flights will be going away. Instead, these travel-oriented searches will produce a link to a specialized search engine at the top of the page, followed by two others with fewer details. Below that, Google will display a carousel of hotels, airlines, or restaurants without real-time pricing or availability. The ranking must be determined by Google’s search algorithm rather than its business interests.
对于欧洲的谷歌用户来说，酒店和航班的即时价格及空位查询等功能将不复存在。取而代之的是，这些旅游相关的搜索结果页面顶部会出现一个专业搜索引擎的链接，随后是另外两个细节较少的链接。在此之下，谷歌将展示一个酒店、航空公司或餐厅的轮播图，但不再提供实时价格或空位信息。搜索结果的排名必须由谷歌的搜索算法决定，而非基于其商业利益。
These changes are still rolling out in the EU. Google has not provided an exact timeline to get it done, but the company was given 60 days to comply. That puts the deadline on September 23, after which Google can be fined up to 5 percent of its global revenue under the DMA. These search results will not change in other regions.
这些调整目前正在欧盟范围内逐步推行。谷歌尚未提供完成调整的确切时间表，但该公司被要求在60天内合规。这意味着截止日期为9月23日，此后如果谷歌未能合规，根据DMA，其可能面临高达全球营收5%的罚款。其他地区的搜索结果不会发生变化。
The way Google displays travel results has been a bone of contention in Europe for several years. In 2024, Google said that EU-mandated changes led to a 30 percent drop in free direct booking traffic to businesses. That was before the DMA came into force. With the European Commission now requiring more search changes, Google suggests there will be additional traffic reductions.
谷歌展示旅游搜索结果的方式多年来一直是欧洲争议的焦点。2024年，谷歌曾表示，欧盟强制要求的调整导致企业获得的免费直接预订流量下降了30%。那还是在DMA正式生效之前。随着欧盟委员会现在要求进行更多的搜索调整，谷歌暗示流量将进一步减少。
The search giant also claims it is only giving people what they want. Google says it has conducted tests on these changes, and users didn’t like the results as much. That’s not necessarily surprising, though. People searching for travel info might like having prices and interactive maps included on the booking page, and they may not care if that’s anticompetitive—they’re just looking for a cheap holiday.
这家搜索巨头还声称，它只是在提供人们想要的东西。谷歌表示，他们对这些调整进行了测试，用户对结果的满意度有所下降。不过，这并不令人意外。搜索旅游信息的人可能希望预订页面包含价格和交互式地图，他们可能并不关心这是否具有反竞争性——他们只是想找个便宜的假期。
Interestingly, Google’s cited evidence of user dissatisfaction is that people have to retype their search queries more often with the Euro-safe travel results. But doesn’t Google like higher search volume? Often, when Google talks about its shift to AI in search, it points out that AI has led to people performing more searches, and that’s framed as a good thing. However, people can also run more searches because they aren’t finding what they want. In this case, though, Google may not be able to monetize those “extra” searches as effectively, so it’s a bad thing.
有趣的是，谷歌引用的用户不满证据是，在符合欧洲法规的旅游搜索结果下，人们不得不更频繁地重新输入搜索查询。但谷歌不是喜欢更高的搜索量吗？通常，当谷歌谈论其向AI搜索转型时，它会指出AI促使人们进行了更多搜索，并将其视为一件好事。然而，人们进行更多搜索也可能是因为他们找不到想要的内容。但在这种情况下，谷歌可能无法有效地将这些“额外”的搜索变现，所以这被视为一件坏事。
Google and other companies designated as “gatekeepers” under the DMA continue to oppose the law as the EU steps up enforcement. Meanwhile, the US government has threatened the bloc with economic sanctions if it continues to fine US tech giants.
随着欧盟加强执法力度，谷歌和其他被DMA指定为“看门人”的公司继续反对该法律。与此同时，美国政府威胁称，如果欧盟继续对美国科技巨头处以罚款，美国将对欧盟实施经济制裁。