Recently, it has blocked news from EU publishers from search results in what it has described as a test. In this instance, it is said to be due to the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which compels them to pay publishers fairly for content. The “test” restricts the access of EU news articles in Google Search; it directly interferes with EU users’ access to news. Google appears to support this notion, the operational and financial implication of compliance with such regulatory requirements.

The Digital Services Act is an extensive EU regulation aimed at protecting equal relationships between online platforms and content providers. The act seeks to protect news publishers and promote fairness on the internet through a policy that seeks to make people pay for the use of their content.

Google’s recent test could be interpreted as an attempt to resist these demands, setting the provoking discussion on the given topic with regard to access to content on digital resources. Companies like Google need to comply with regulations like the Digital Services Act in order to ensure fair treatment of content providers and news publishers. Failure to do so could result in legal consequences and damage to their reputation in the industry.

It is claimed that Google’s approach threatens the availability of accurate news and could confine EU publishers. However, Google says this is a pilot program that will only last for some time, the timing of which comes as regulators tighten their noses on tech firms in the European region.

For now, the test constrains visibility to EU publishers, and the result can shape future EU measures towards tech giants and Google’s strategies in the long-term news environment. The best way to use this approach is that whether the test will bring policy changes or which rules it will influence in Google’s content policies is uncertain, but this approach has thrown discourse light on the discussion of digital inclusion and platform liabilities in the EU.