EU orders Google to share search data and open Android to AI rivals

The European Commission on Thursday ordered Google to grant rival search engines access to its search data and allow competing AI services to integrate with the Android operating system. The mandates, issued under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), set strict deadlines: data sharing must begin in January 2027, while Android users will see new AI options from July 2027.

Under the new rules, smartphone users will be able to select alternative AI chatbots to handle voice commands, a function currently dominated by Google’s "Hey Google" feature. EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said the measures aim to foster competition. "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," she stated.

For Europe's tech sector, the decision represents a direct intervention to dismantle the walled gardens that have long protected US tech monopolies. By forcing data sharing, Brussels is attempting to lower the immense barriers to entry for European search and AI startups, potentially altering the competitive dynamics of the digital market.

Google has pushed back hard, framing the order as a threat to consumer safety. Kent Walker, Google's head of global affairs, warned the EU moves risked "undermining vital privacy and security guardrails for millions of Europeans." He argued that sharing search data means "Europeans' private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymisation of the data and without user knowledge or consent."

Brussels rejected these claims. A senior European official insisted the bloc "took integrity, security and privacy into utmost account" when designing the obligations, noting the decision mandates anonymisation before any data is shared.

The move arrives amid intense transatlantic friction over tech regulation. Donald Trump's administration has sharply criticised the DMA, accusing Brussels of unfairly targeting American firms. While Thursday's measures are legally binding and do not carry immediate fines, Google remains under severe financial pressure. The company could face a fine next week in a separate DMA investigation. Violations of the DMA can reach up to 10 percent of a company's global turnover, a penalty scale Google is familiar with after accumulating €8.2 billion in EU antitrust fines between 2017 and 2019, followed by a further €2.95 billion sanction last September.