EU probes Booking.com over fake listings, phishing risks
What Happened
The European Commission has opened formal proceedings against Booking.com under the Digital Services Act (DSA). Regulators will examine whether the platform adequately assessed and mitigated risks involving fraudulent accommodation listings, impersonation scams and phishing attacks using reservation and guest data. The Commission will also investigate whether properties that paid for higher rankings in search results were clearly identified as advertisements. Booking.com said it is cooperating with the investigation and that security and protection of personal information are priorities.
Key Takeaways
The investigation does not establish that Booking.com breached EU rules. If violations of the DSA are ultimately confirmed, the company could face fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover.