Google reportedly making it tougher to find rival email

Google has been accused of making it harder for users to search for competitors to its Gmail service. Specifically, Tuta Mail - which claims over 10 million users across the globe - has said that it hasn't appeared on Google's searches properly since March.

While you can still find Tuta Mail if you search for it, apparently key words that used to get Tuta appearing on the search page no longer work. Things like "encrypted email" and "secure email" no longer show Tuta as a top result.

"At the beginning of March 2024 Google suddenly stopped displaying our website for thousands of keywords," Tuta writes in a formal complaint to the EU. "Google must stop this unfair limitation of showing our website in search results immediately," wrote Matthias Pfau, co-founder of Tuta Mail.

"Google in its role as a gatekeeper is impacting the profits and marketability of our private email service Tuta Mail - a direct competitor to Google's Gmail, which goes against the Digital Markets Act," Tuta continued in a blog post.

Google maintains that people can still search for the email company if they wish, but Tuta holds onto its belief that it is being pushed out of the limelight.