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EU Orders Google to Share Search Data, Open Android Assistants

7/17/2026

Summary

EU Orders Google

The European Commission ordered Google to share query and click data with rival search engines from January 2027.
The Commission also required Android phones to stop defaulting to Gemini and let users choose an assistant by July 2027, with fines up to 10 % of Alphabet’s turnover.
Google’s Kent Walker warned the obligations could jeopardize user privacy and national security.
The EU previously fined Google €8.2 billion for 2017-2019 violations and €2.95 billion in 2025.

Summary

EU Targets US

The EU order, after forcing Apple to open its devices to non-Apple accessories and requiring Meta to curb addictive scrolling, will let European phone makers and app developers embed rival AI assistants and lists OpenAI and Microsoft among chatbots that may receive anonymized search data.
Apple defended Google, warning the mandate would create a privacy nightmare for Europeans.
President Donald Trump condemned the EU measures as targeting American firms.

Summary

EU Fines Google

The European Commission may impose a fine next week in a separate DMA probe, up to 10 % of Google’s global turnover.
The EU said the DMA order is binding but not a formal investigation that automatically triggers fines, with data to be anonymised.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said the steps aim to rebalance the field and expand consumer choice, separating data-sharing duties from the antitrust case started in January.

Summary

EU Regulates Google

The EU set a pricing formula to calculate fees Google may charge rivals for anonymized search data.
Google must expose eleven Android features, such as voice-activated booking and suggested-reply generation, to rival AI assistants.
The Commission lets Google run privacy and cybersecurity risk assessments before granting data or API access.
Only AI developers meeting EU privacy-security criteria may access the data, per decisions from a procedure launched six months earlier.

History

Historical Context

The 1998 United States v. Microsoft antitrust suit, brought by the DOJ and 20 states, found Microsoft had abused its Windows monopoly and ended in a 2001 settlement that forced API sharing but stopped short of a breakup. The EU’s 2004 €899 million fine for similar violations set a precedent that the 2024 Digital Markets Act now extends to Google, Apple, Meta, OpenAI and Microsoft.

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EU Orders Google

The European Commission ordered Google to share query and click data with rival search engines from January 2027.
The Commission also required Android phones to stop defaulting to Gemini and let users choose an assistant by July 2027, with fines up to 10 % of Alphabet’s turnover.
Google’s Kent Walker warned the obligations could jeopardize user privacy and national security.
The EU previously fined Google €8.2 billion for 2017-2019 violations and €2.95 billion in 2025.

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