Regulators are not playing around with Google this year. Just this April, we saw Japan take formal action against the company over Android phones, accusing the tech giant of forcing manufacturers to preinstall its search and browser apps. Now, the United Kingdom's antitrust watchdog is adding to the pressure with its own set of demands that could significantly alter how people use Google's products.
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority, or CMA, wants to let users in the UK decide for themselves which search engine to use. This would come in the form of so-called "choice screens" that would appear when someone uses the Chrome browser or an Android device for the first time. In practice, this means offering a menu of different search providers, potentially even including AI assistants like ChatGPT, giving people a real opportunity to switch away from Google's default setting.
To make this happen, the watchdog plans to slap Google with a special "strategic market status" designation, which means the agency gets new powers to impose very specific changes on how Google operates. The CMA is proposing this under new digital market rules designed specifically to rein in the power of large tech companies. A final decision on whether to officially give Google this label is expected by October 13.
This fight over search and browser defaults is arguably more intense back home in the US, where the company is facing the possibility of having to sell off Chrome entirely after a landmark court ruling on monopoly grounds. You can bet OpenAI is very interested in that outcome, as its executives have said they would consider buying the browser if Google were ever forced to part with it.
The CMA also has a few other changes in mind if its new status for Google goes through. The agency wants to ensure the company's search rankings are fair and do not unfairly penalize rivals. It also wants to give news publishers more transparency and control over how Google uses their articles and other content to train its AI models and generate those AI summaries you now see at the top of search results. Finally, the CMA is pushing for rules that would let people easily transfer their personal data, like their entire search history, to another company if they choose.
According to AP News, Google sees the CMA's announcement as presenting "clear challenges" to its business in the UK. Oliver Bethell, a competition director at the company, also hinted that such strict regulations could even lead Google to delay the release of new products and features in the UK.
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