Just because we’re called Google doesn’t mean we can apply our own rules. The Mountain View firm probably understood this after this condemnation of the Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF). Google has just received a fairly high fine!
Google condemned in France
If this fine will have no impact on the turnover of the Californian giant, it will still impact the image of the company on French soil. The DGCCRF has just taken the decision to sanction Google for having taken the initiative to design a “house” classification of hotels in its search engine in France.
Indeed, on a basis of stars assigned by users, Google affirmed that one hotel was better than the other, a situation that lacked reliability since we know the business of the good and bad reviews that certain websites sell… Normally, the company was supposed to highlight the data communicated by Atout France(the Tourist Development Agency), which was not respected. After several years with various reports from dissatisfied professionals, Google was unable to continue to offer this organization and has just corrected this practice.
In its official press release, the DGCCRF declares:
Seized with complaints from hoteliers denouncing the display on Google of a misleading classification of tourist accommodation, the DGCCRF checked in 2019 and 2020 the nature and fairness of the information provided by the platform. The rankings of more than 7,500 establishments were automatically collected and were subjected to an algorithmic processing: the study of the concordance between the Google ranking and the only official ranking existing in France and issued by Atout France (the ranking by ‘stars’, ranging from 1 to 5), was automated, which made it possible to compare the rankings on a significant number of cases.
The investigation revealed that Google had replaced the Atout France classification with a classification established according to its own criteria. However, this classification was greatly confused by its presentation and by the identical use of the term “stars” on the same scale from 1 to 5, to classify tourist accommodation.
The press release goes on to say that the public prosecutor proposed to Google Ireland Ltd and Google France to pay a fine of 1.1 million euros, which was accepted by the company. This will prevent a sanction which could be much heavier!
This change, which seems unimportant, is a relief for the hotels which could no longer bear the lack of recognition despite their good positions in the ranking of Atout France. The main union of the hotel and restaurant industry explains:
It was crucial, for us, to protect the stars of classified accommodation: this classification made by Atout France has a value, it corresponds to more than 250 points to respect: size of the room, presence of a bathroom, number taken… We rose up against this in 2008.
This is good news which will put things back in order and make it possible to promote the hotels best rated by the tourism development agency.