Google and other companies that operate search engines in Europe will have to be more transparent in how they rank search results. The European Commission on Monday issued guidelines to online platforms with requirements under the European Union's Platform-to-Business regulation (P2B). The Commission hopes to force online platforms to make the "right information" available to business so that they can manage their online visibility. Once businesses have this information, they will essentially be able to understand how the ranking algorithm works, and tailor their own digital properties to optimise them around it. Businesses would, hence, be able to have the information they need to improve the presentation of goods and services they sell online and have more visibility. "[The Guidelines] will also provide valuable support for the adequate and effective enforcement of the transparency requirement to ensure online platforms are acting fairly in their ranking practices," the Commission said in a statement. Margrethe Vestager, executive vice president of the Commission, said that the Guidelines will "set the standard for algorithmic ranking transparency and will increase fairness in the online platform economy". Meanwhile, Thierry Breton, European Commissioner for the Internal Market, said that the principle of transparency would also underpin the forthcoming EU's Digital Markets Act, "which will prevent illegal behaviour before it even takes place". The guidelines comes at a time of worldwide attention on Big Tech firms for monopolistic business practices. Google's search engine, the market leader across the world, has been accused of opaque in how businesses, especially…
