As Google continues to address its interactions with publishers, regulatory bodies, and readers, it is launching a significant test: removing articles from European Union-based publishers from its Search platform. This experiment is designed to assess how excluding EU news content impacts both traffic and user experience on Google Search.
This test is limited in scope and will not affect all users. Google will remove EU-based news articles from its Search, Google News, and Discover features for only one percent of users in Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Spain. The test’s duration is “time-limited,” with Google planning to reinstate EU news content for these users once it concludes.
According to Google, this experiment is being conducted in response to requests from both EU regulators and publishers for “additional data about the effect of news content in Search.” The company clarifies that during the test, it will still display content from non-EU news publishers, providing users with access to news outside the European region. When the test ends, EU-based news articles will reappear for all users in these selected countries.
Though modest in scope, this experiment could carry broader implications. By observing the decline in traffic during the test, EU publishers will see just how much visibility they would lose if Google permanently stopped linking to their content. For Google, the test may reveal how much users value news articles in their search results—a question Facebook recently explored when it removed the “News” tab and stopped paying publishers for news altogether.
Google has long opposed regulations that would require it to compensate publishers for linking to their content. In the EU, Google is subject to the European Copyright Directive, which mandates that the search engine pay for news content, leading Google to license content from hundreds of publishers across the region. In 2023, Google faced a fine of $272 million in France for breaching a previous agreement related to compensating news publishers.
Recently, Google has taken similar actions in response to legislative efforts outside the EU. In California, Google removed links to local news outlets due to the state’s Journalism Preservation Act. The company also threatened to take similar steps in Canada, and it nearly withdrew its search engine services from Australia when faced with comparable legislation. Given this recent test in the EU, it appears Google may be considering more drastic measures if regulations continue to tighten.