The European Commission has issued its preliminary findings, according to which search engine giant Google must open its search data for use by third parties.
The proposed measures are based on the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), and their goal is to dismantle Google's dominant position in the market. The Commission demands that Google must share data, such as search result rankings, search queries, and click and view counts, on fair and equitable terms.
According to the proposal, the recipients of the data would not only be traditional competing search engines but also AI-powered chatbots that utilize search functionalities.
The Commission believes that access to this information is critical for other players to optimize their own services and offer a real challenge to Google.
Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen emphasized that search engines must be able to innovate and keep up with users' changing needs, especially now that AI services are becoming increasingly integrated into searches.
Google has announced that it will fight against the proposals.
Google's competition law counsel Clare Kelly called the Commission's plans regulatory overreach that jeopardizes user privacy. According to Kelly, hundreds of millions of Europeans entrust Google with their most sensitive searches, related to health, family, or finances, for example.
In Google's view, the Commission would force the company to hand over this information to third parties whose data protection mechanisms may be dangerously inadequate.
Although the Commission emphasizes that personal data to be shared must be anonymized, Google considers the risks too great.
According to the EU, the measures precisely define how, when, and at what cost Google will have to share the data. This is a continuation of a process that began in March 2025, in which Google was accused of violating DMA regulations. If the company is found to be in breach of the regulations, it could face significant fines, which could amount to up to ten percent of the company's global annual turnover.
The decision is not yet final, and various parties have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposal until early May. The Commission will evaluate the feedback received and make a final, binding decision on the matter for Google by July 27, 2026.
According to the proposal, the recipients of the data would not only be traditional competing search engines but also AI-powered chatbots that utilize search functionalities.
The Commission believes that access to this information is critical for other players to optimize their own services and offer a real challenge to Google.
Commission Vice-President Henna Virkkunen emphasized that search engines must be able to innovate and keep up with users' changing needs, especially now that AI services are becoming increasingly integrated into searches.
Google has announced that it will fight against the proposals.
Google's competition law counsel Clare Kelly called the Commission's plans regulatory overreach that jeopardizes user privacy. According to Kelly, hundreds of millions of Europeans entrust Google with their most sensitive searches, related to health, family, or finances, for example.
In Google's view, the Commission would force the company to hand over this information to third parties whose data protection mechanisms may be dangerously inadequate.
Although the Commission emphasizes that personal data to be shared must be anonymized, Google considers the risks too great.
According to the EU, the measures precisely define how, when, and at what cost Google will have to share the data. This is a continuation of a process that began in March 2025, in which Google was accused of violating DMA regulations. If the company is found to be in breach of the regulations, it could face significant fines, which could amount to up to ten percent of the company's global annual turnover.
The decision is not yet final, and various parties have the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposal until early May. The Commission will evaluate the feedback received and make a final, binding decision on the matter for Google by July 27, 2026.
