European Commission publishes Platform 2 Business Regulation Ranking Transparency Guidelines

 

On 7 December 2020, the European Commission published the much-awaited Ranking Transparency Guidelines. These guidelines are essential to interpret key provisions of the Regulation 2019/1150 – the so-called Platform to Business Regulation – regarding requirements for online intermediary service and online search engine providers to set out the main parameters that determine ranking and the reasons for the relative importance of those parameters as opposed to other parameters.

The guidelines aim to help online platforms make the right information available to businesses so they can consider how best to increase and manage their online visibility, enabling consumers to receive the highest quality goods and services. They will also provide support for the adequate and effective enforcement of the transparency requirement to ensure online platforms are acting fairly in their ranking practices.