EU launches investigation into Booking.com
Fake accommodations, phishing, unclear advertising: The EU Commission has opened proceedings against Booking.com. The portal faces a heavy fine.
On Wednesday, the EU Commission opened proceedings against the platform Booking.com. Brussels wants to clarify whether the travel portal is doing enough to combat fake listings, fake accommodations, phishing, and the misuse of customer data. The labeling of paid placements is also under scrutiny.
Fake listings and phishing
Also being investigated are the measures taken against the fraud of travelers. For example, listings that advertise accommodations that do not exist, or criminals posing as hosts and sending fake messages to obtain your passwords or bank details. The EU Commission is examining whether Booking, based in Amsterdam, is taking sufficiently consistent action against such incidents and removing the corresponding listings. According to the EU authorities, the risks posed by fraud and unlicensed accommodations are being severely underestimated by Booking.com. According to the Commission, the portal received over 1,000 reports of fraud in the first half of 2026 alone. The damages amounted to around 82,000 euros. This is already ten times the total damage amount from 2025.
Furthermore, the Brussels-based authority is examining how the portal shares guest data with its partners and how the messaging system functions. They want to know what protective mechanisms are in place, how they work, and how secure they are.
Is it a search result or an advertisement?
Hotels and accommodation providers can pay Booking a fee to boost their listings. The corresponding accommodation then appears higher up in the search results – even if there might be others that better match the searcher's requirements. The Commission wants to know how clearly these placements are declared as advertisements and whether you, as a user, can adjust the advertising settings.
Booking.com has pledged its full cooperation to the EU Commission and intends to work with them and its business partners to combat fraud. Meanwhile, the Commission clarifies that the proceedings have only just been opened. It is not yet clear whether or to what extent a legal violation by Booking.com has occurred.
For the booking platform, this is the first investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA). If the investigators find violations, the company faces a fine of up to six percent of its global annual turnover. Other portals, such as Temu or Elon Musk's platform X, have already been sentenced to fines in the millions.
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