Exclusive-Google makes new proposal to stave off EU antitrust fine, document shows
BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Google has proposed fresh changes to its search results in an attempt to fend off growing criticism from rivals, a week before a key meeting that could lead to yet another EU antitrust fine, according to a document seen by Reuters.
The U.S. tech giant has been under pressure after being hit in March with European Union antitrust charges of unfairly favouring its own services such as Google Shopping, Google Hotels and Google Flights over competitors.
The company, owned by Alphabet, will meet its rivals and the European Commission to discuss its proposals during a July 7-8 workshop in Brussels, the document said.
The EU's landmark Digital Markets Act, under which Google has been charged, sets out a list of dos and don'ts for Big Tech aimed at curbing their power and giving rivals more room to compete and consumers more choice.
Last week, Google offered to create a box at the top of the search page for a so-called vertical search service (VSS) which would contain links to specialised search engines as well as to hotels, airlines, restaurants and transport services.
The latest offer, called Option B, is an alternative to last week's proposal, according to a Google document sent by the Commission to involved parties and seen by Reuters.
"Under 'Option B', whenever a VSS box is shown, Google will also show a box that includes free links to suppliers," the document said.
The box for suppliers - in essence hotels, restaurants, airlines and travel services - would be below the VSS box, with Google organising the information about the suppliers.
Option B "provides suppliers opportunities while not creating a box that can be characterised as a Google VSS", the document said.
"We've made hundreds of alterations to our products as part of our DMA compliance," a Google spokesperson said.
"While we strive for compliance, we remain genuinely concerned about some of the real world consequences of the DMA, which are leading to worse online products and experiences for Europeans."
Google risks a fine as much as 10% of its global annual revenue if found in breach of the DMA.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee. Editing by Ros Russell and Mark Potter)
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Amid the lack of regulation and the potential for climate startups to overstate their impact, registries aim to verify how much carbon was really removed. The Finnish has verified more than a million carbon credits since its founding seven years ago. But most of those credits originated in land-based climate projects. Only recently has it aimed to set standards for the ocean. In part, that's because marine carbon credits are some of the newest to be traded. Dozens of ocean startups have entered the industry, with credit sales catapulting from 2,000 in 2021 to more than 340,000, including Gigablue's deal, last year. But the ocean remains a hostile and expensive place in which to operate a business or monitor research. Some ocean startups have sold credits only to fold before they could complete their work. Running Tide, a Maine-based startup aimed at removing carbon from the atmosphere by sinking wood chips and seaweed, abruptly shuttered last year despite the backing of US$50mil from investors, leaving sales of about 7,000 carbon credits unfulfilled. In June, published a draft methodology that will be used to verify Gigablue's work, which it designed in consultation with Gigablue. Once finalised, Gigablue will pay the registry for each metric ton of carbon dioxide that it claims to remove. Marianne Tikkanen, head of standards at said that although this methodology was designed with Gigablue, her team expects other startups to adopt the same approach. "We hope that there will be many who can do it and that it stimulates the market,' she said. The road ahead It remains to be seen whether New Zealand officials will grant permission for the expanded "sequestration field' that Gigablue has proposed creating, or if the company will look to other countries. New Zealand's environmental authority has so far treated Gigablue's work as research – a designation that requires no formal review process or consultations with the public. The agency said in a statement that it could not comment on how it would handle a future commercial application from Gigablue. But like many climate startups, Gigablue was involved in selling carbon credits during its research expeditions – not only inking a major deal, but smaller agreements, too. Pallas, the Italian businessman, said he ordered 22 carbon credits from Gigablue last year to offset the emissions associated with his event in November. He said Gigablue gave them to him for free – but says he will pay for more in the future. Pallas sought out carbon credits because he sees the signs of climate change all around him, he says, and expects more requirements in Italy for businesses to decarbonize in coming years. He chose Gigablue because they are one of the largest suppliers: "They've got quantity,' he said. How authorities view Gigablue's growing commercial activity could matter in the context of an international treaty that has banned certain climate operations in the ocean. More than a decade ago, dozens of countries including New Zealand agreed they should not allow any commercial climate endeavor that involves releasing iron in the ocean, a technique known as "iron fertilisation.' Only research, they said, with no prospect of economic gain should be allowed. Iron is considered a key ingredient for spurring algae growth and was embedded in the particles that Gigablue dispersed in October in the Pacific Ocean. Several scientific papers have raised concerns that spurring iron-fueled algae blooms on a large scale would deplete important nutrients in the ocean and harm fisheries. The startup denies any link to iron dumping on the basis that its particles don't release iron directly into the water and don't create an uncontrolled algae bloom. "We are not fertilising the ocean,' Markus-Alford said. "In fact, we looked at iron fertilisation as an inspiration of something to avoid,' Shaashua said. But the draft methodology that will use to verify Gigablue's work notes many of the same concerns that have been raised about iron fertilization, including disruptions to the marine food web. Other scientists who spoke with AP see a clear link between Gigablue's work and the controversial practice. "If they're using iron to stimulate phytoplankton growth,' said Kerry, the OceanCare scientist, "then it is iron fertilization.' For now, scientific concerns don't seem to have troubled Gigablue's buyers. The company has already planned its next research expedition in New Zealand and hopes to release more particles this fall. 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