EU Commission opens investigation into Booking.com for DSA fraud and transparency breaches

What happened

The European Commission has opened formal proceedings to assess whether Booking.com violated the Digital Services Act by failing to assess or mitigate risks from fraudulent listings and phishing scams. The Commission also alleges a transparency breach for not clearly labeling paid‑for boosted listings as advertisements. The investigation will focus on fraudulent listings, phishing scams using reservation data, and undisclosed paid placements.

Why it matters for trust and compliance

• Its status is announced. It is not law yet. Track it, but do not treat it as an obligation.
• The probe signals stricter enforcement of the DSA’s risk‑assessment and transparency obligations for large online platforms.
• It relates to DSA. The regulations library explains what that law requires.

Who is affected

Recommended actions

1. Check that privacy notices describe the practices this addresses.
2. Inventory where this data is shared or sold and whether opt-outs are honoured.