European Commission opens formal investigation into Booking.com under the DSA

On 21 October 2026, the European Commission opened formal proceedings against Booking.com to assess whether it breached the Digital Services Act (DSA). The investigation focuses on: the platform not adequately assessing and mitigating the risks of fake listings and phishing scams; not clearly labelling listings that are paid to be boosted in search rankings as advertising; and the way booking and guest data is shared with accommodation providers and the design of the in-platform messaging service. If found in breach, this would involve DSA Articles 34, 35 and 26(1). The Commission stated that opening proceedings does not prejudge the final outcome and that it will prioritise an in-depth investigation. Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen said that Europeans should be able to book holidays without being scammed, and that Europe's leading booking platform must take its DSA responsibilities seriously. Follow-up reporting the same day further noted that the investigation focuses on non-existent listings, impersonation fraud, non-compliant accommodation products, and phishing risks in the platform's messaging service, and mentioned that very large online platforms that breach the DSA can be fined up to 6% of their global annual turnover.