EU orders Google to open Android, Search to rivals
▼ Summary
– The EU has ordered Google to give rival AI assistants and search engines greater access to Android and Google Search under the Digital Markets Act, with compliance deadlines in 2027.
– The Android decision requires Google to let users choose rival AI assistants like ChatGPT as system-level defaults with comparable access to device features and data.
– The second proceeding mandates Google share search data with competing search engines and AI chatbots, including those functioning as search engines.
– Non-compliance could result in EU fines up to 10% of Google’s annual worldwide turnover, potentially tens of billions of dollars.
– Google objects to the measures, citing privacy and security risks, while the EU says it will impose limits on data use and allow Google to vet access for safety.
The European Union has formally ordered Google to grant rival AI assistants and search engines significantly more access to core components of Android and Google Search, marking a major enforcement action under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). This directive, announced Thursday, could fundamentally reshape how Google controls two of the most dominant platforms in the tech industry.
The two separate decisions target distinct but interconnected areas of Google’s business. One ruling focuses on how competing AI assistants can operate within the Android ecosystem. The other addresses how rival search engines and AI chatbots can access data generated by Google Search. The EU is demanding that Google provide comparable system features and data access to competitors that it currently reserves for its own tools, like Gemini.
Under the new requirements, Android users could eventually choose ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, or other assistants as deeply integrated system defaults, with the same level of access to device hardware and app functionality that Gemini currently enjoys. This includes the ability to respond to voice commands, interact with apps, and use phone hardware more fully. The EU’s goal is to shift control from Google to the user.
For Google Search, the ruling mandates that the company share valuable search data with competing services and AI chatbots that function as search engines. This data-sharing measure echoes remedies from the US search antitrust case, where Google was ordered to provide rivals with information to help them compete more effectively. Google has until January 2027 to begin sharing search data and July 2027 to implement changes to Android.
Google has pushed back, arguing these requirements pose an unacceptable risk to user privacy and security and could compromise its products. The EU has responded by stating there will be limits on how search data can be used and that Google will retain the ability to vet which services get deeper access to Android to maintain safety standards.
These rulings also signal how Brussels may approach similar questions involving other tech giants. Apple has already declined to release Siri AI in Europe, explicitly blaming the DMA and arguing its interoperability requirements compromise user safety.
“With today’s measures, we want to support innovation and diversity in the European Union, enabling fair competition in the markets of AI assistant for Android devices and search engines,” said Henna Virkkunen, European Commission executive vice president for tech sovereignty, security, and democracy. “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.”
If Google fails to comply, the European Commission could impose fines of up to 10 percent of its annual worldwide turnover, potentially amounting to tens of billions of dollars. This is not a financial penalty but a regulatory requirement to change how Google operates, developed through extensive engagement between the company and regulators.
(Source: The Verge)
