The EU has instructed Google on how it should share search data with its competitors.

      The European Commission today presented Google with its initial findings under the Digital Markets Act, suggesting six specific measures that dictate how Google is to share search ranking, query, click, and view data with competing search engines. AI chatbots with search capabilities are explicitly noted as potential beneficiaries of this data. A public consultation is set to begin tomorrow.

      These findings, released on April 16, 2026, outline six key obligations and will open a public consultation on April 17, allowing third parties, including Google's competitors and their representatives, to provide feedback on the proposed measures before they are finalized.

      The six areas addressed by the Commission’s proposed measures are: determining the eligibility of "data beneficiaries" to access search data, including the debated issue of whether AI chatbots with search functions qualify; the scope of the search data Google is required to share; the methods and frequency of data sharing; ensuring proper anonymization of personal data; establishing fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory pricing for the data; and the governance processes facilitating beneficiary access.

      The combination of pricing and access governance is particularly notable: Brussels is not only mandating data sharing but also detailing how the commercial and technical access terms should operate.

      The eligibility of AI chatbots poses the most commercially significant aspect of the package. Google Search has amassed decades of user behavior data—what queries are inputted, which results are clicked, which are skipped, and how searches are reformulated—that its competitors have historically struggled to replicate at scale. Traditional search competitors such as Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia have claimed that this data asymmetry creates a structural barrier to genuine competition.

      The DMA’s Article 6(11) requirement, which these proceedings are intended to clarify, mandates access on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms, but the exact definition of who qualifies has, until now, remained vague. By explicitly including AI chatbots with search functionalities in its proposed measures, the Commission is indicating that it views conversational AI systems that provide direct responses to queries as competing in the same arena as traditional search engines, thus deserving the same access rights.

      These preliminary findings mark the midpoint of the specification proceedings initiated on January 27, 2026. The Commission began these proceedings—an emerging enforcement mechanism under the DMA designed to clarify compliance requirements for a gatekeeper—after finding that Google's existing data-sharing practices were inadequate for fostering meaningful competition.

      The Commission must conclude these proceedings within six months of their January initiation, setting a deadline around late July 2026. Google now has the chance to respond to the preliminary findings in writing before the final measures are enacted.

      The proceedings themselves do not constitute a determination of non-compliance, but they do lay the groundwork for a potential finding. If Google fails to meet the measures ultimately adopted by the Commission, the regulator has the authority to initiate a formal non-compliance decision, which could result in fines up to 10% of Alphabet’s global annual revenue—a figure that could exceed $35 billion given Alphabet’s earnings.

      In response to the January launch, Google expressed skepticism. Clare Kelly, the company’s senior competition counsel, mentioned that Google was already "licensing Search data to competitors under the DMA" and cautioned that additional requirements driven by competitor complaints rather than consumer interests could undermine privacy, security, and innovation.

      The Commission's counter-argument, articulated by EVP Teresa Ribera, is that access to valuable data is essential to "maximize the potential and benefits of this profound technological shift by ensuring a level playing field."

      Today's actions are part of several concurrent DMA enforcement efforts against Google. A parallel set of specification proceedings is addressing Google’s obligations regarding Android interoperability, ensuring that third-party AI service providers have equal access to the same Android hardware and software features that support Gemini.

      In addition to these specification proceedings, the Commission issued preliminary findings in March 2025, claiming that Google Search unlawfully prioritizes its own vertical services, such as Google Shopping, Hotels, and Flights, which is a non-compliance investigation running concurrently and carries its own potential penalties.