Google says it has proposed changes to its Search spam policy to address concerns raised by European Union regulators, which have warned the company could face an antitrust fine. Multiple outlets report that the EU watchdog is reviewing Google’s “site reputation abuse” practices after publishers complained that the policy demotes their websites and content in Google Search results. The regulators’ monitoring indicates that when publishers’ sites include content classified under the spam or reputation abuse framework, those pages can be ranked lower, affecting news media and other publishers. Google’s proposal is presented as a way to adjust the policy so that affected publishers are treated differently and the approach is more consistent with the regulators’ competition concerns. The reports characterise the situation as Google being “in regulators’ crosshairs” following complaints, with the EU watchdog seeking compliance before moving further in its antitrust process. The articles agree that the development centres on Google’s policy for handling spam and site reputation, and on how it influences search rankings for publishers in the EU.