Exclusive-Google rival Tuta complains to EU tech regulators about de-ranking

BRUSSELS : German electronic mail service Tuta Mail has complained to European Union tech regulators about what it described as a sudden drop in Google search results on the day the bloc’s fresh tech rules kicked in.

The European Commission last month launched investigations into Alphabet unit Google, Apple and Meta Platforms over skill breaches of the fresh Digital Markets Act (DMA), with Google’s case partly centered on whether or now now not search results discriminate against third-birthday party products and companies.

Tuta Mail, which says it is the 2nd-finest encrypted electronic mail service on this planet with extra than 10 million users, filed a complaint to the DMA taskforce on Tuesday.

“At the starting of March 2024 Google stopped showing our web web web protest online for thousands of key phrases, limiting search traffic to our web web protest online in tidy part to so-known as ‘branded traffic’ easiest,” the firm talked about in its complaint considered by Reuters.

“This implies other folks own been no longer discovering our encrypted electronic mail provider when shopping for ‘encrypted electronic mail’, nonetheless easiest when explicitly shopping for ‘Tuta’ or ‘Tutanota’,” it talked about.

Tuta Mail CEO Matthias Pfau talked about he does now now not understand why his firm’s ranking fell on the day the DMA changed into packed with life.

“Obviously Google changed one thing in its search algorithms, nonetheless we make now now not know what they changed or why,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“We now own tried to uncover in contact with Google to talk about this tell, nonetheless own got radio silence.”

Google talked about it does now now not unfairly promote its dangle products. Tech consultants talked about web sites can lose Google ranking attributable to algorithm adjustments.

“Search ranking updates completely make now now not aim to desire Google products, or any varied explicit web web web protest online. The e-mail provider in seek info from is neatly accessible globally on Search,” a spokesperson talked about.

“We treasure the feedback and can view into how we are able to originate clear Search continues to come essentially the most precious, relevant results.”

The Commission declined to offer particulars.

“The Commission monitors compliance of gatekeepers with duties, along side in the context of on-going courtroom cases. We is now now not going to observation on explicit concerns being raised with us,” a spokesperson talked about.

Pfau talked about the impact on Tuta Mail has been dramatic.

“After putting off most branded key phrases, we search for that our total impressions per month (30 days) dropped by 88.47 per cent. Google took away about 90 per cent of our visibility online,” he talked about.

“We prefer the DMA taskforce to incorporate our files in their investigation on whether or now now not Google is complying with the DMA,” he talked about.

The DMA obliges Huge Tech to offer competitors and users extra quite a whole lot of, similar to by permitting competing products and companies to aim with theirs while a checklist of prohibitions reach they can’t treat their products and companies extra favourably in ranking than competitors.