EU orders Google to share search data and open Android to rival AI services

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Thursday ordered Google to share search data with competing search engines and make changes to Android so rival artificial intelligence services can work more freely on the platform, as Brussels stepped up enforcement of its Digital Markets Act.

The move is part of the bloc’s push to curb the market power of the largest technology companies and expand user choice. Under the legally binding decision, Google must begin sharing search data from January 2027, while Android users in the EU are due to start seeing changes from July 2027, according to Brussels.

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said the measures were intended to encourage alternatives to Google’s products and give users more options. She said regulators hoped the changes would help new competitors emerge against Google Search and Google’s AI services, including Gemini. The EU also said Android users should be able to choose a preferred AI chatbot for voice commands in a way similar to the existing Hey Google feature.

"Thanks to these measures we hope to see emerging alternatives to Google Search and Google's AI services, such as Gemini, and that users in the EU can enjoy greater choice of services", the statement read.

Google objected to the measures, arguing they could create risks around privacy, device safety and national security. The company’s head of global affairs, Kent Walker, said the EU’s approach could weaken protections for millions of users in Europe. He also said AI assistants already have access to Android and warned that broader data-sharing could expose private search queries to outside companies without sufficient anonymisation and without users’ knowledge or consent.

The EU said the requirement to share search data would help level competition in the market. A senior European official said the bloc had taken security, privacy and system integrity fully into account, while Brussels said the decision includes anonymisation safeguards for search data.

DMA pressure on Google continues

The order forms part of a procedure launched in January. While it is binding, it is not a formal investigation that could itself result in fines. Even so, the scrutiny of Google under the Digital Markets Act is continuing on other fronts.

Close to the matter cited by AFP, the EU could fine Google as early as next week in a separate DMA investigation. This confirmed a Financial Times report published on Wednesday. Under the law, the EU can impose penalties of up to 10 per cent of a company’s total global turnover for violations.

Google has already faced major competition penalties in Europe. The company was fined a combined 8.2 billion euros between 2017 and 2019 under separate competition rules. In September last year, Brussels also imposed another antitrust fine of 2.95 billion euros in a separate case.

The Digital Markets Act has become a point of friction with the administration of US President Donald Trump, which has accused Brussels of unfairly singling out American companies. The latest order against Google is the newest example of the EU using the law to force changes at major technology firms.