EU Regulator Proposes Forcing Google to Share Search Engine Data with Rivals

The European Union's competition regulator has formally proposed measures that would compel Google to share its search engine data with third-party rivals. This move directly targets the core of Google's dominance, seeking to open up the digital advertising and search markets by mandating access to the data that fuels its algorithms and market power. The proposal represents a significant escalation in the EU's long-running antitrust campaign against the tech giant, shifting from fines to structural interventions.

The European Commission, acting as the EU's antitrust authority, has outlined specific obligations under the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA). The measures would require Google to provide competing search engines, comparison tools, and online intermediaries with data on search queries, rankings, and clicks. This data is considered essential for rivals to develop and improve their own services, challenging Google's entrenched position. The proposal follows a market investigation that designated Google's parent company, Alphabet, as a 'gatekeeper' in core platform services, triggering these proactive interoperability and data-sharing rules.

The mandated data sharing could reshape the competitive landscape for online search and digital advertising across Europe. If implemented, it would apply significant pressure on Google's business model, which relies heavily on the scale and refinement of its search data. The proposal now enters a feedback period, with Google and other stakeholders able to respond before the Commission finalizes the legally binding measures. This regulatory push signals the EU's hardening stance on forcing market openness, setting a precedent that could extend to other designated gatekeepers in the future.