EU Tells Booking.com to Tackle Fake Listings and Phishing, and to Clearly Label Paid Placements
The European Union has directed Booking.com to take the necessary steps against the risks of fake listings and phishing fraud online. At the same time, listings that are shown higher in search results in return for payment must be clearly labelled, so users can easily understand which ones have received paid priority.
The message was published on Wednesday (21 October) on the European Commission's Facebook page. The direction concerning Booking.com, a platform widely used worldwide for holiday accommodation bookings, is part of Europe's continuing effort to regulate digital services.
Under the EU's digital law, Booking.com must properly assess the risks linked to fake listings and phishing fraud and take effective measures to address them, the message said. In other words, identifying the risks is not enough; the platform must also show real steps to reduce them.
A fake listing means an accommodation advertisement that does not exist in reality or whose description does not match reality. Travellers caught by such listings can lose money or arrive at their destination to find no accommodation. Phishing fraud, meanwhile, uses fake messages or pages that look like the real platform to try to steal users' information and money.
The Commission's message also said listings given priority in search results in return for payment must be labelled in a way users can easily understand. A user will then know whether an accommodation appears at the top because of its quality or because of paid priority.
The European Commission said planning a holiday should be a pleasure, not a risk. It wants to ensure that people in Europe can book with confidence that online platforms take user safety seriously.
The message added that online platforms will be made to fulfil their responsibilities properly. The direction, in other words, will not remain a mere announcement; the platforms' actual conduct will also be monitored, it indicated.
Under Europe's digital law for online platform regulation, large platforms carry extra responsibilities for user safety, transparency and risk management. The direction for Booking.com has come within that framework, the Commission's message noted.
Reliance on online booking grows in the travel season, and with it the risks of fake listings and phishing. Not clicking unknown links, avoiding payments outside the platform and checking listing details carefully are important basic precautions for travellers.
What remains to be seen is what real changes Booking.com makes after this direction — how it strengthens the detection and removal of fake listings and how clearly paid-priority labels become for users. The Commission's next assessment will show that.
