Google has blamed a coding bug for burying search results for TripAdvisor and Yelp.
Executive from the two sites, which compete with Google to offer travel and business recommendations, tweeted examples of smartphone searches over the weekend that included their company names but pointed people toward Google’s reviews and maps results.
“Gimme a break, @google. Search for ‘tripadvisor hilton’ puts the tripadvisor link so far down you can’t see it,” TripAdvisor Chief Executive Stephen Kaufer tweeted.
“Wonder if teens think this is Yelp,” Yelp Chief Executive Jeremy Stoppelman tweeted, posting a picture of a Google listing that popped up when he searched for Yelp and the name of a restaurant.
Google pinned the distorted results on a flaw in its code. “The issues cited were caused by a recent code push, which we’re working quickly to fix,” the company said in a statement.
Companies that rely on Google to drive traffic to their sites argue that the search engine should never manipulate listings and instead should act solely as a neutral platform. If Google uses search results to promote its own services over those of competitors, rivals argue, it destroys competition and misleads consumers.
Such complaints are the basis of a years-long investigation by European competition watchdogs.
Full content: Gadgets 360
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
EU Extends Support for Farms and Fisheries Amid Market Disruptions
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Sony and Apollo Bid $26 Billion for Paramount Acquisition
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Goldman Sachs Resolves Decade-Old Metal-Rigging Class Action Lawsuit
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Italian Antitrust Ruling Puts Halt on Intesa Sanpaolo’s Fintech Ambitions
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Google Antitrust Case: Closing Arguments Conclude
May 5, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI