European Commission Proposes Google Share Search Data With Rivals

The European Commission has proposed measures requiring Google to share key search data—including user queries, clicks, and rankings—with rival search engines and AI chatbots. Acting under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the Commission intends to force the company to provide this anonymized data to beneficiaries within the European Economic Area on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms. The framework limits charges for these transfers to incremental costs plus a reasonable return.

Google has opposed the measure, with Senior Competition Counsel Clare Kelly arguing that the proposal would force the company to hand over sensitive user information regarding health, family, and finances to third parties with ineffective privacy protections. Google further alleged that OpenAI is partially driving the investigation to harvest its data.

Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera maintains that restricting search data stifles innovation. A public consultation on the proposal remains open until May 1, 2026. A final binding decision is expected by July 27, 2026. If Google fails to comply with the DMA, it could face penalties of up to 10% of its annual global income.