Google needs to work harder at living up to consumer protection rules in the EU, according to a study by the Dutch authority ACM and its Belgian counterpart the Economic Inspection. On behalf of the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network operated with the European Commission, the national regulators investigated several Google services, including the search engine and Play Store. Their work found Google lacking in several areas, and recommendations for improvement were drawn up. If Google does not implement the changes in the coming months, the company may face sanctions including fines.
The areas for improvement include better information on sellers on the Google Store and Google Play Store and how they can be contacted; more essential product and service related terms and conditions displayed clearly on the stores; information on how Google search rankings were established and whether they were paid for; and results in Google Flights and Google Hotels displayed with all taxes and other unavoidable costs included in the prices.
