Google Has Been Given an Ultimatum: Grant Rival Search Engines Equal Access to Android Data.
The European Commission has taken its regulatory stance against Google, ordering the search giant to grant third-party AI services access to Android on par with Gemini, a relatively new competitor. This development stems from the Digital Markets Act (DMA), designed to keep the AI market open and promote competition. The Commission aims to ensure that non-Google search engines can compete more effectively by providing equal opportunities for innovation.
As part of this initiative, Google will be required to share anonymized data related to its search engine, including ranking, query, click, and view metrics. This move is expected to help rival companies optimize their services and offer more viable alternatives to Google Search. Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy, emphasized the importance of this development: "Our goal is to keep the AI market open, unlock competition on the merits, and promote innovation, to the benefit of consumers and businesses."
Google has faced significant scrutiny from the EU in recent months. The Commission has already launched investigations into Google's alleged favoritism towards its own services, as well as its demotion of commercial content on news websites. This latest development is a key part of the DMA enforcement efforts.
The Commission plans to complete these proceedings within six months, giving Google a deadline to comply with the requirements. Failure to do so could result in formal investigation and potential penalties, including fines of up to 10 percent of the company's global annual revenue.
This move marks a significant shift towards promoting competition in the AI market, as the EU seeks to balance its own interests with those of rival companies. The outcome will be closely watched by industry observers and policymakers alike, who will be eager to see how Google responds to this regulatory challenge.
The European Commission has taken its regulatory stance against Google, ordering the search giant to grant third-party AI services access to Android on par with Gemini, a relatively new competitor. This development stems from the Digital Markets Act (DMA), designed to keep the AI market open and promote competition. The Commission aims to ensure that non-Google search engines can compete more effectively by providing equal opportunities for innovation.
As part of this initiative, Google will be required to share anonymized data related to its search engine, including ranking, query, click, and view metrics. This move is expected to help rival companies optimize their services and offer more viable alternatives to Google Search. Henna Virkkunen, the Commission's executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy, emphasized the importance of this development: "Our goal is to keep the AI market open, unlock competition on the merits, and promote innovation, to the benefit of consumers and businesses."
Google has faced significant scrutiny from the EU in recent months. The Commission has already launched investigations into Google's alleged favoritism towards its own services, as well as its demotion of commercial content on news websites. This latest development is a key part of the DMA enforcement efforts.
The Commission plans to complete these proceedings within six months, giving Google a deadline to comply with the requirements. Failure to do so could result in formal investigation and potential penalties, including fines of up to 10 percent of the company's global annual revenue.
This move marks a significant shift towards promoting competition in the AI market, as the EU seeks to balance its own interests with those of rival companies. The outcome will be closely watched by industry observers and policymakers alike, who will be eager to see how Google responds to this regulatory challenge.