The impact of Digital Markets Act on Google reviews

Since coming into full effect on March 6, 2024, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) has been redefining Europe's digital landscape by imposing stricter rules on major online platforms. The display of customer reviews, in particular Google reviews, is one of the points of this regulation.

Which web companies are covered by the DMA?

The DMA concerns large online platforms identified as "gatekeepers". These companies, which hold a dominant market position and have a significant impact on users, are subject to specific obligations.

Among the main platforms targeted are Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta (Facebook) and Microsoft.

What are the key changes brought about by the DMA for Google reviews?

Google is affected by the ban on self-preference (favoring one's own products or services to the detriment of competitors). In concrete terms, Google is no longer authorized to systematically favor its own reviews in search results.

However, as of the writing of this article in April 2024, Google reviews are still highlighted on Google My Business listings. This favors businesses with good Google ratings in the search engine.

It's important to note, however, that the DMA does not remove Google reviews. They will remain available to users.

Rather, the aim of the DMA is to create a fairer environment where consumers can easily compare reviews from different sources to form an informed opinion about products and services being considered.

What are the prospects for Google reviews after the DMA?**

The long-term impact of the DMA on Google reviews remains to be seen. Google may have to introduce new features to enable users to better understand the origin of reviews and critically assess them.

Transparency of Google reviews compared to reviews on other platforms.

To write a Google review, users must have an email address associated with a first and last name profile. User profiles can be viewed by users, providing transparency. The majority of other companies that collect customer reviews are not transparent about the origin of the reviews they post.

In conclusion, Google is already far ahead of other platforms in terms of customer review transparency. The DMA will undoubtedly encourage Google to improve its customer review collection system for even greater reliability.