EU forces Google to share search data, open Android to rival AI companies
The European Union (EU) issued two new rules for Google on Thursday to force it to share search data and open up its Android operating system to rival AI companies.
In the latest attempt to rein in tech behemoths’ deep control of the digital economy, the EU said it will support innovation and diversity in the field by enabling fair access to AI features on Android devices and search engines. “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,” Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice president at the European Commission overseeing tech, said.
The measure is the latest advancement of Brussels’ growing rules and regulations that have given the 27-nation bloc a global leadership position in checking the power of tech juggernauts or “gatekeepers” like TikTok, which are largely based in China and the US.
Recently, Brussels has pushed through efforts to ensure Google gives access to Gemini AI services to rival AI companies and search engines; forced Apple to add interoperability features to its devices to connect to non-Apple products; and demanded Meta dismantle “key addictive features” like infinite scrolling. Kent Walker, president of global affairs for both Google, said the new rules could backfire by removing safeguards that the company had built to protect user privacy, like the vetting of third-party AI assistants.
“Europeans’ private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymisation of the data and without user knowledge or consent. This would weaken citizens’ privacy, risk business trade secrets, and endanger national security,” he said in a statement.
US President Donald Trump has lashed out at EU tech regulation in the past.
In issuing the two new rules, the commission said it found that AI agents not made by Google were unable to function on Android phones at the same level as Google’s Gemini.
Google must now allow voice-activation of these alternative AI agents and enable them to run background tasks like booking restaurants via third-party apps.
By January 2027, Google must also begin sharing anonymised search data with some rivals. The commission said the move is meant to level the playing field since Google controls a vast trove of user data that no competitor can match.
