• by Laurie Sullivan , Yesterday

The European Union (EU) Commission has ordered Google to share anonymized search data with rival search engines under the Digital Markets Act, and to provide better interoperability for companies with the Google Android operating system (OS).

A key part of this week’s decision is the EU Commission’s clarification of how Google must give third parties access to data and features that are needed to improve their services.

Competitors of artificial intelligence (AI) services will have the ability to compete with Google's AI services such as Gemini, by having equal access to features on Google's Android devices by January 2027, according to the EU Commission.

AI chatbots with search features are eligible for the shared data, and Google will be required to anonymize and provide the same data it uses for its services to others and to begin sharing search data with eligible third-party search providers.

“Data sharing is crucial for the development and optimization of third-party search engines,” the EU commission explained in a release. “It helps to create a more level playing field with Google Search, and fosters innovative search services, which includes privacy-focused alternatives.”

The ruling outlines ways to anonymize the data that had been developed in collaboration with privacy experts, as well as in line with the draft Joint Guidelines of the DMA and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by the Commission and the European Data Protection Board.

Ironically, the EU Commission will allow Google to evaluate whether sharing such data with a specific third party poses serious cybersecurity and data protection risks -- before sharing any data.

The measures also laid out a formula that the EU Commission calls “fair” in how to calculate the price of the shared data.

The aim of these measures is to allow companies to offer European users a wider range of options to choose from, when it comes to their AI services on Android and Search services.

The other half of the ruling based on the Android OS focuses on ensuring that users can activate their preferred AI assistant via voice commands, similar to the “Hey Google” command. This change is expected to begin in July 2027.

Users will have an option to use third-party AI assistants to perform actions in apps on their behalf.

For instance, they will be able to delegate tasks such as booking a taxi, receiving suggestions for relevant replies in chat apps, or asking the AI assistant about a recently visited place.

Importantly, the measures incorporate robust safeguards to ensure that the privacy of users, device integrity and security are protected.

MediaPost has reached out to Google and will update the article with any additional comments.