In a letter Google is once again being accused of using the overwhelming dominance of its search engine to launch and promote its own services to the detriment of existing players.
"We are currently witnessing an attempt by Google to expand its dominance in the market for into the separate markets for vacation rental intermediation services," said the letter. The signatories – which also include holiday home associations from Germany, Spain and France – complained that related Google searches now promote a"visually rich" and specific result that aggregates and duplicates their own services.
This was with the intention of giving users"relevant and trusted information from a diverse range of sources" and"the most relevant information for your query".