EU Orders Google to Share Search Data with Competitors

In a landmark move to reshape the digital search market, European regulators have outlined a detailed framework requiring Google to share its vast trove of user data with rivals. The European Commission’s preliminary findings, issued on April 16, 2026, propose six specific measures under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). These rules would govern how Google must provide competing services with access to critical search ranking, query, click, and view data. Notably, the proposal explicitly defines AI chatbots with search functionalities as eligible beneficiaries, a decision with profound commercial implications.

A public consultation on the proposed measures opens on April 17, allowing third parties, including Google’s competitors, to provide feedback before the rules are finalized. The six core areas addressed by the Commission cover the eligibility of data recipients, the precise scope of data to be shared, and the technical methods and frequency for sharing it. The proposal also details requirements for proper anonymisation of personal data, parameters for setting fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) pricing, and the governance processes for accessing the information. This combination of pricing and access rules is particularly significant, as Brussels is specifying not just that data be shared, but the exact commercial and technical terms of that exchange.

The inclusion of AI-powered search tools as potential data beneficiaries is the most consequential element. Google’s search engine holds decades of accumulated user behavior data, including query patterns, click-through rates, and reformulation trends, which rivals have historically lacked. Traditional competitors like Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia have long argued this data asymmetry creates a structural barrier to competition. By including AI chatbots, the Commission signals it views conversational AI systems that answer queries directly as operating in the same competitive space as traditional search engines, thus entitled to equivalent data access rights under the DMA’s Article 6(11).

These proceedings represent the midpoint of a specification process launched on January 27, 2026. This DMA enforcement mechanism is designed to define precisely how a gatekeeper like Google must comply with an obligation, rather than immediately finding a breach. The Commission initiated the process after determining Google’s existing data-sharing arrangements were insufficient to foster meaningful competition. The regulator must finalize the proceedings within six months of their January opening, setting a deadline around late July 2026. Google now has an opportunity to respond to the preliminary findings in writing.

While not a formal non-compliance decision, these proceedings establish the legal framework for one. If Google fails to satisfy the final adopted measures, the Commission retains the power to open a formal non-compliance case. This could result in fines of up to 10% of Alphabet’s global annual turnover, a sum that, based on current revenues, could exceed $35 billion.

Google has expressed skepticism regarding the need for further mandates. Following the January launch, Senior Competition Counsel Clare Kelly stated the company was already licensing search data to competitors under the DMA. She warned that additional requirements, driven by competitor grievances rather than consumer interests, could compromise privacy, security, and innovation. The Commission’s counter-position, articulated by Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera, is that access to genuinely useful data is essential to maximize the benefits of technological shifts by ensuring an open and fair playing field.

This action is one of several concurrent DMA enforcement tracks involving Google. A parallel specification proceeding addresses Google’s Android interoperability obligations, focusing on ensuring third-party AI services receive equally effective access to hardware and software features. Separately, in March 2025, the Commission issued preliminary findings alleging Google Search unlawfully favors its own vertical services like Google Shopping, Hotels, and Flights. That non-compliance track, which carries its own potential fines, is proceeding in parallel.