European Commission believes that Google may be demoting media publishers’ content in search results unfairly. Zennie62Media, Inc. will tell The European Commission that Google is
Brussels (Special to ZennieReport.com) – the European Commission has formally launched proceedings to assess whether Google applies fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory conditions of access to publishers’ websites on Google Search, which is an obligation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The Commission’s monitoring work has shown indications that Google, based on its ‘site reputation abuse policy’, is demoting news media and other publishers’ websites and content in Google search results when those websites include content from commercial partners. According to Google, this policy aims to tackle practices that are allegedly meant to manipulate ranking in search results.
The Commission’s investigation focuses specifically on Google’s ‘site reputation abuse policy’, and how that policy applies to publishers. This policy appears to directly impact a common and legitimate way for publishers to monetise their websites and content.
Therefore, the Commission is investigating whether Alphabet’s demotions of publishers’ websites and content in Google Search may impact publishers’ freedom to conduct legitimate business, innovate, and cooperate with third-party content providers.
The initiation of proceedings does not prejudge a finding of non-compliance. It merely indicates that the Commission will further pursue the case.
Zennie62Media’s Statement To The EU
Dear European Union. I am Zenophon Abraham, CEO of Zennie62Media, Inc. I can report several examples where Google has unfailrly and illegally downgraded my websites in my Zennie62Blog.com server in Google Search Results. The latest example is show in this video where Google is the only search engine that fails to show content by or news about me in search results, where all of the other search engines, notably Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and Duck Duck Go, all show basically the same results for the same keyword. Here’s the video-blog:
I sent the video above to Danny Sullivan, who has been Google’s Public Liason for Search. Danny and I have been acquainted with each other for a long time, at least back to 2006 from recollection and communications, if not before that. That is also true for Kent Walker, who has been Google’s legal representative for some years now. Here’s the email I wrote Kent in 2022:
Greetings Kent,
Congratulations on your rise at Google. I believe we, you and I, talked a good 10 years ago, and regarding a YouTube matter I was plagued with. I tried to reach out to David Drummond, but you were helpful.
I am writing to you because I received a copy of your request to contact elected officials to stop the proposed bills that, together, would cripple Google. I am all for helping, especially since I have been with Google as a YouTube Partner since 2008 and on YouTube since 2006. I have built my company around YouTube, and my pride-and-joy WordPress blog OaklandNewsNow.com is perhaps the only operating news blog aggregator based on YouTube news channels, and which promotes those channels.
In 2018, I embarked on building a bold new experiment in media, and a company around it in 2019, and now, Google has unexpectedly taken a “manual action” against my OaklandNewsNow.com blog. This was done two months ago now, and without warning, delisting my entire site, and it’s 134,000 posts, from view. The reason given was “thin content”. My long time friend, famed SF Crisis PR Consultant Sam Singer (whom I have helped with social media content matters over the years) said “There’s nothing on your blog that’s thin content.”
My site contains some of the most locally and nationally important news over the last five years. From the postings of Oakland Vice Mayor and At Large Councilmember (and friend) Rebecca Kaplan, to many video interviews with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. I also use it to cover the NFL Draft (18th year as credentialed media) and the NFL Owners Meetings, too. I have employed it to cover San Diego Comic Con and the 2020 DNC Convention.
I designed OaklandNewsNow around a new tech where Smartphone-based YouTube videos uploaded to my channel automatically became news posts. One person on the scene could bear-the-big-boys in breaking news using my network. I have no idea why Google took the action, but I am asking if you would please get them to reverse their action, and tell me what the problem was, so I can correct it. A black media entrepreneur should not be punished for innovation. “Thin content”? A lot of people have SCOFFED at the idea that OaklansNewsNow.com content was thin. Anyway, I am in the process of making a lot of changes to the site as a guess as to what the problem MAY have been, but I come away with the view that there was nothing wrong. It feels like they’re out to get me.
I reached out to Rebecca Prozan and she called YouTube, but I did not have a problem with them. When I followed up to ask that she re-do her effort, I never got another response from her. Why? I really do not know.
I did not set out to make enemies but to build a media business that allows me to be with and help my 87 year old Mother. I am the only child and i owe my Mom my life. I have not been able to bless her with a wife, a family, and grand-kids (not for not trying) but I am here to help her in Fayette County, GA. I have not seen my place in Oakland since 2019. I was making $6,000 from Google AdSense ad revenue per month from OaklansNewsNow.com until the manual action.
Meanwhile Google gave $3 million to a local publisher named Francis Dinklespiel to start a website called Oaklandside, then Google proceeded to alter Oakland news search results in its favor. I know because my blog was impacted by their actions and Oaklandside has benefited from the manual action against my blog. Moreover, Oaklandside presents a classic “white focused” view of Oakland, where my blog gives a “black perspective” on the news.
On top of that, OaklandNewsNow.com exposed the PPP Loan scandal where Bank of America was not following SBA rules. I am a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against Bank of America as I write this. The Google manual action took down my news blog reporting on that problem, as well as a giant trail of posts that serve to form a history of the problem. And remember, I am credentialed media.
So, I need my site back “search whole” if you will. Google AdSense had asked me to fix the “thin content” problem and so I added a comment section and made the site interactive. I am continuing my work to make it a fully interactive news aggregator. The Google AdSense staffers LOVED It (I have the email to prove it), and so OaklandNewsNow.com was reinstated with Google AdSense months ago. Google Search should do the same.
This way I can better help you. Moreover, California Governor Gavin Newsom has been a good long-time friend of mine since 1998. I am also personal friends with Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak. Congresswoman Barbara Lee and I are so close because of family relations, it’s not funny. I can go on and on, but I can really help Google. I just need your help my making my OaklandNewsNow.com site whole.
Thank you for your time.
Zennie
Google’s Many Unexplained Actions Against Our Sites And Me Over The Years Happen For No Given Reason And Look Racist
Here’s another video example: the case of a search about my appearance as one of the first bloggers ever invited to a political convention, in this case, the 2008 Democratic National Convention. The video is called “Zennie Abraham Is Oakland Blogger, One Of 1st Bloggers At 2008 DNC Convention; Google Covers It Up”.
As the video shows, every other search engine reports that the Oakland Tribune wrote an article about my being one of the first 128 bloggers ever invited to a democratic national convention, the 2008 DNC in Denver. That was the one where President Barack Obama was sworn in as the Democrats representative in the run for President of The United States – the first African American to reach such a lofty place in American Society. Why is it so important for Google to cover-up my achievements?
The rest of the presentation is from the press release the EU sent to Zennie62Media, Inc.
EU Next Steps
Should the Commission find evidence of non-compliance, the Commission will inform Alphabet of its preliminary findings and explain the measures that it considers taking or that Alphabet should take to effectively address the Commission’s concerns.
The Commission will aim to conclude its investigation within 12 months from the opening of the proceedings.
In case of an infringement, the Commission can impose fines up to 10% of the company’s total worldwide turnover. Such fines can go up to 20% in case of repeated infringement. Moreover, in case of systematic infringements, the Commission may also adopt additional remedies such as obliging a gatekeeper to sell a business or parts of it, or banning the gatekeeper from acquisitions of additional services related to the systemic non-compliance.
Background
The DMA aims to ensure contestable and fair markets in the digital sector. It regulates gatekeepers, which are large digital platforms that provide an important gateway between business users and consumers, whose position can grant them the power to create a bottleneck in the digital economy.
On 6 September 2023, the Commission designated Alphabet’s online search engine Google Search as a core platform service under the DMA. Alphabet had to fully comply with all DMA obligations for its online search engine Google Search by 7 March 2024.
Today’s opening of proceedings against Alphabet is due to concerns that Alphabet may not comply with the Article 6(12) DMA and Article 6(5) DMA obligations to apply transparent, fair and non-discriminatory conditions to Google Search’s ranking.
Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
The Digital Markets Act ensures fairer markets and innovation in the EU – for businesses and consumers. Alphabet must comply with the obligations to provide publishers fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory general access conditions to Google Search. Our targeted investigation aims to protect publishers’ funding, their freedom to conduct business and ultimately media pluralism and our democracy.
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition
Today we are taking action to ensure that digital gatekeepers do not unfairly restrict businesses that rely on them from promoting their own products and services. We are concerned that Google’s policies do not allow news publishers to be treated in a fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory manner in its search results. We will investigate to ensure that news publishers are not losing out on important revenues at a difficult time for the industry, and to ensure Google complies with the Digital Markets Act.
Zennie62Media Encourages The EU To Contact Zennie Abraham
The EU must know that I, Zennie Abraham, stands ready to help the EU right Google’s wrongs by sharing my story of discrimination in search results. Arguably, Google has cost my firm, and me, millions in ad revenue and potential investment in Zennie62Media, Inc.