EU moves on AI data access
The European Commission told Google to give third‑party search engines access to parts of its search data — a change aimed at AI chatbots with search functions under the Digital Markets Act. (reuters.com) Brussels has likewise warned Meta that a revised WhatsApp AI fee appears to exclude third‑party AI assistants and ordered a rollback, signaling a broader enforcement push to prevent dominant platforms from locking AI distribution. (enterpriseai.economictimes.indiatimes.com)
Brussels has moved to stop Google and Meta from using control of search and messaging to shape who gets to distribute artificial intelligence in Europe. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) On April 16, the European Commission sent Google preliminary findings that would require it to share ranking, query, click and view data from Google Search with third-party search engines on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. The proposal explicitly covers artificial intelligence chatbots with search functions, and the Commission opened a public consultation on the measures. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) The Commission said interested parties can comment until May 1, with a final decision due in July 2026. Google was already hit with preliminary Digital Markets Act findings on March 19, 2025 over how Google Search treated Alphabet’s own services compared with rivals. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu 1) (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu 2) A search engine is the index behind answers on the web: it logs what people ask, what results they see, and what they click. By ordering access to parts of that data, the Commission is trying to keep newer search tools, including chatbots that retrieve live web results, from having to build that feedback loop from scratch. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) (wilmerhale.com) The same week, the Commission told Meta it intends to order the company to restore third-party AI assistants’ access to WhatsApp under the same conditions that applied before a policy change on October 15, 2025. Brussels said Meta’s revised March 4, 2026 policy, which replaced a ban with a fee, appeared “in effect equivalent” to the earlier exclusion. (europa.eu) The Meta case sits under European Union antitrust law, not the Digital Markets Act. The Commission opened formal proceedings on December 4, 2025, sent a first Statement of Objections on February 9, 2026, and said the interim measures would stay in place while the broader investigation continues across the European Economic Area. (europa.eu) The Digital Markets Act is the European Union law for “gatekeepers,” the biggest digital platforms that control access to core online services. Article 6(11) requires a gatekeeper search engine to give other search providers access to ranking, query, click and view data on fair terms, with safeguards for anonymising personal data. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) (wilmerhale.com) Google has pushed back on the Commission’s approach, saying the measures overreach and could harm user privacy, according to Reuters reporting carried by other outlets. Meta has also argued its revised terms reopened access, but the Commission said the fee structure still risked blocking rivals from entering or expanding in the market for AI assistants. (channelnewsasia.com) (europa.eu) The immediate question is no longer whether Europe will regulate artificial intelligence distribution through existing platform rules. It is how far Brussels will go in forcing the companies that own search indexes and messaging pipes to carry rivals too. (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) (europa.eu)
