EU Forces Google To Share Search Data, Open Android To Rivals
(Thursday July 16, 2026 @05:00PM (BeauHD)
from the leveling-the-playing-field dept.)
- Reference: 0184483434
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/07/16/1926200/eu-forces-google-to-share-search-data-open-android-to-rivals
- Source link:
The EU is [1]imposing new rules [2]requiring Google to share anonymized search data and open up Android to rival AI companies. "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 Associated Press reports:
> 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 anonymized 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.
Google argues the measures could weaken privacy and security by exposing user searches and reducing safeguards around third-party AI assistants. "Europeans' private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymization of the data and without user knowledge or consent," said Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google and Alphabet. "This would weaken citizens' privacy, risk business trade secrets, and endanger national security."
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_1634
[2] https://apnews.com/article/eu-google-android-antitrust-184b3067120e56d858cb8c81aee26d45
> 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 anonymized 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.
Google argues the measures could weaken privacy and security by exposing user searches and reducing safeguards around third-party AI assistants. "Europeans' private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymization of the data and without user knowledge or consent," said Kent Walker, president of global affairs for Google and Alphabet. "This would weaken citizens' privacy, risk business trade secrets, and endanger national security."
[1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_1634
[2] https://apnews.com/article/eu-google-android-antitrust-184b3067120e56d858cb8c81aee26d45
Have To Agree With Google, In Part (Score:2)
by jhuebel ( 44324 )
On one hand, I agree with the EU that Google should allow alternative AI assistants to operate on Android as the primary, voice activated assistant. Hopefully these new rules aren't ONLY targeting Android, since Apple iOS should have the same requirement.
On the other hand, I don't think Google should be required to provide anonymized search data to rivals. Firstly, that's effectively their intellectual property. We (the users) have an implicit agreement with Google to use their search index in exchange for
Lawmakers' Ignorance (Score:1)
by epicbread ( 4929749 )
Such idiotic policies would sound to me like reason to pull out of doing business in the EU entirely.
Anonimisation (Score:2)
EU: "By January 2027, Google must also begin sharing anonymized search data with some rivals"
Google: "Europeans' private searches would be exposed to unfamiliar companies, without adequate anonymization of the data"
Em.... Google, the data is supposed to adequately anonymised! Sheesh.