EU pushes Google to share search data
The European Commission proposed that Google must share search data with third‑party search engines and AI systems under the Digital Markets Act, with a final decision expected in July. The proposal would require Google to allow third‑party access to search data to help rival search tools and AI answer engines operate (reuters.com).
The European Union has told Google to open parts of its search data to rival search engines and some artificial intelligence services under the bloc’s tech competition law. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) The European Commission said on April 16 that Google should share ranking, query, click and view data on “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” terms. The proposal also covers AI chatbots with search functions, not just traditional search engines. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) Brussels opened the proceeding on January 27 under Article 6(11) of the Digital Markets Act, then gave Google draft compliance measures this week. Interested parties can comment from April 17 through May 1, and the Commission said it expects a final decision in July 2026. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu, money.usnews.com) The case turns on a simple idea: Google’s search engine produces signals about what people ask for and what results they click, and rivals say those signals help make search work better. The Commission said access to a “useful dataset” would let other providers improve their tools and offer users alternatives to Google Search. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu, digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu) The move lands as Google faces a broader Digital Markets Act fight in Europe. In March 2025, the Commission sent Alphabet preliminary findings saying some Google Search features favored Alphabet’s own services over rivals, including in areas such as shopping, hotel and flight results. (ec.europa.eu) Google has argued the Commission is going too far. Reuters reported that Clare Kelly, Google’s senior competition counsel, said the company would fight the measures because they are “overreaching” and could put user privacy at risk. (money.usnews.com) The Commission’s draft tries to answer that objection by spelling out anonymisation rules, access conditions, pricing parameters and which companies qualify to receive the data. Those details are the core of the dispute, because the law requires access while also limiting how personal information can be exposed. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu, digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) If the July decision holds, Google would have to build a formal pipeline for handing over search data to approved rivals in Europe. That would turn one of search’s main advantages — the feedback loop from billions of queries and clicks — into a regulated input that competitors can also use. (digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu, bloomberg.com)
