THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION is opening an investigation into whether Booking.com is doing enough to crack down on fraud and scams on its platform.
The Commission announced in a statement today that it has opened formal proceedings to investigate if Booking.com breached the Digital Services Act.
It is examining whether the platform has broken the DSA by not diligently assessing or effectively mitigating risks related to fraudulent listings and phishing scams.
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They will investigate risks related to the way reservation and guest data is shared with accommodation providers, and the design and functioning of Booking.com’s messaging service.
The types of scams they are investigating the platform for the presence of include fake listings for non-existent properties, impersonation fraud, and non-compliant accommodation.
The EC is also investigating Booking.com’s transparency and whether it failed to clearly label listings that paid for higher rankings in their feed as ads.
On the site, providers can make their listings more visible by paying a higher commission to Booking.com. The EC said users should be able to clearly recognise that these listings have been boosted and are essentially ads on the platform.
In a statement this afternoon Booking.com said it is “cooperating fully” with the EC and “engaging constructively on its questions under the Digital Services Act (DSA)”.
They said: “Security, trust and the protection of personal information are top priorities at Booking.com.”
“We remain committed to working with relevant governments, regulators, law enforcement and industry partners to combat cybercrime and online fraud and protect travelers and partners,” the statement concluded.
European Commission investigating if Booking.com is doing enough to crack down on scams
THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION is opening an investigation into whether Booking.com is doing enough to crack down on fraud and scams on its platform.
The Commission announced in a statement today that it has opened formal proceedings to investigate if Booking.com breached the Digital Services Act.
It is examining whether the platform has broken the DSA by not diligently assessing or effectively mitigating risks related to fraudulent listings and phishing scams.
They will investigate risks related to the way reservation and guest data is shared with accommodation providers, and the design and functioning of Booking.com’s messaging service.
The types of scams they are investigating the platform for the presence of include fake listings for non-existent properties, impersonation fraud, and non-compliant accommodation.
The EC is also investigating Booking.com’s transparency and whether it failed to clearly label listings that paid for higher rankings in their feed as ads.
On the site, providers can make their listings more visible by paying a higher commission to Booking.com. The EC said users should be able to clearly recognise that these listings have been boosted and are essentially ads on the platform.
In a statement this afternoon Booking.com said it is “cooperating fully” with the EC and “engaging constructively on its questions under the Digital Services Act (DSA)”.
They said: “Security, trust and the protection of personal information are top priorities at Booking.com.”
“We remain committed to working with relevant governments, regulators, law enforcement and industry partners to combat cybercrime and online fraud and protect travelers and partners,” the statement concluded.
booking.com Consumer protection Digital Services Act European Commission October online fraud travel industry Irish Politics Business