EU orders Google to share Android features, search data with OpenAI under Digital Markets Act
The European Commission mandated Google to grant rivals including OpenAI access to 11 Android features and share search data used to optimise its services, under the EU's Digital Markets Act. The order targets Google's dominance and aims to promote competition in European digital markets.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said the measures will enable alternatives to Google Search and Gemini AI, giving users genuine choices. Rivals can activate AI assistants through voice commands like 'hey Google' starting July 2027. Search data sharing with anonymisation requirements takes effect January 2027, with a pricing formula for access.
Google rejected the measures sharply, arguing they risk undermining privacy and security protections for millions of European users. The company's lawyer Kent Walker said the rulings discount evidence of user harm and signaled plans for legal challenge. Security safeguards allow Google to assess cyber risks before granting access.
These measures extend the EU's ongoing crackdown on Google's market practices, including previous accusations that Alphabet violated the DMA by favoring its own services and restricting app developers' payment options.
For Nigerian tech enthusiasts and developers, this signals evolving global regulation of big tech—could influence how international platforms operate and whether more fair competition emerges in digital markets worldwide.