The European Union has escalated its regulatory campaign against Big Tech with two binding decisions targeting Google's dominant position in search and mobile operating systems.
The new rules, issued on Thursday under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), require Google to share anonymized search data with rival search engines and AI companies, and to open its Android operating system to third-party AI assistants on equal footing with its own Gemini.
"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," said Henna Virkkunen, European Commission executive vice president overseeing tech.
Under the search data mandate, Google must begin sharing anonymized search data with some competitors by January 2027. The Commission argued that Google's vast trove of user search data creates an insurmountable advantage that no competitor can match, stifling innovation in AI-powered search and assistant services.
On Android, the Commission found that third-party AI agents cannot function at the same level as Google's Gemini. Google must now allow voice activation of alternative AI assistants and enable them to run background tasks — such as booking restaurants through third-party apps — just as Gemini can.
Google warns of privacy risks
Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google and parent Alphabet, pushed back sharply, warning the rules could backfire by dismantling privacy protections.
"Europeans' private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymization of the data and without user knowledge or consent. This would weaken citizens' privacy, risk business trade secrets, and endanger national security," he said.
The new rules are part of a broader Brussels offensive that has also forced Apple to add interoperability features for non-Apple devices and demanded Meta dismantle "addictive features" like infinite scrolling.
The decisions mark the most direct intervention yet in how AI services compete on mobile platforms, setting a precedent that could reshape the global mobile AI landscape.
