German court: Google can t favor government s health website
Topping Google s search rankings is the dream of online publishers far and wide. Germany s government found a shortcut to the summit for its new health website, but a court in Munich has dragged it back down for now.
Gesund.bund.de will remain online, but its preferential spot at the top of German Google searches looks in jeopardy
In November, Google and the Health Ministry launched a cooperation to steer German-language searches about the 160 most common illnesses to a government-funded website. Anyone who Googles about their health should land on our government site, and find the information that they need there, Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters, standing alongside Google s vice president for Central Europe, Philipp Justus. Though the plan predated the pandemic, Spahn said COVID-19 had highlighted its importance as if through a magnifying glass.