The European Commission has launched procedures to ensure that Google complies with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in certain points. In particular, the European Union’s executive branch has asked Google to give third-party AI services the same access to Android that Gemini has.
“The goal is to ensure that third parties have equal opportunities to innovate and compete in the rapidly evolving AI landscape on smart mobile devices,” the commission said. said in a statement.
The company must also send “anonymous Google search ranking, query, click and view data” to competing search engines. According to the Commission, this will help rival companies to optimize their services and offer more viable alternatives to Google search.
“Today’s proceedings under the Digital Markets Act will provide guidance to Google to ensure that online search engines and third-party artificial intelligence providers have the same access to search data and the Android operating system as Google’s own services, such as Google Search or Gemini,” said Henna Virkkunen, executive vice president of the Commission on Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy. “Our goal is to keep the AI market open, keep material competition free, and promote innovation for the benefit of consumers and businesses.”
The Commission plans to complete these procedures in the next six months and sets a deadline for Google to do so. If the company does not do this to the Commission’s satisfaction, it will face a formal investigation and subsequent sanctions. For violations of the DMA, the Commission can impose fines of up to 10% of a company’s annual global turnover.
Google has already been in trouble with the EU for allegedly favoring its own services – such as travel, finance and shopping – over those of its competitors and for preventing Google Play app developers from simply telling consumers alternative, cheaper ways to pay for digital goods and services. The bloc accused Google of WFD violations related to these issues last March.
In November the EU an investigation has been launched over Google’s alleged downgrading of news sites’ commercial content in search results. The following month, an investigation into Google’s artificial intelligence practices was launched. Among other things, the issue was whether the company used materials from online publishers for AI previews and AI mode without “adequate compensation” or the option to opt out.
