The EU’s Move on Data Sharing
The European Commission has made its position official. Following six months of proceedings that began after a preliminary proposal in April, it has issued two binding decisions under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) which force Google to alter its operating practices (SEJ). Specifically, Google must now share its anonymized search-related data with qualifying rivals—a change detailed further in our look at the EU's search data mandate—and open up Android operating system features to competing AI assistants. This change is not a suggestion; it is a regulatory requirement designed to tackle what the Commission views as an imbalance in the digital search environment.
The Core Data Mandate
The decision requires Google to provide access to anonymized query, click, view, and result-position data from both free and paid search operations (SEJ). The Commission explicitly states that this information must be provided under fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory conditions. The intent is to allow other search engines and AI chatbots—which must qualify as online search engines under the DMA—to build their own retrieval and ranking systems.
Importantly, this does not mean Google must surrender its own search algorithms or the technology behind 'FastSearch,' the system that often provides the grounding for AI responses, or other proprietary ranking technology. The mandate focuses on the raw, anonymized interaction data—queries, metadata including language and device type, viewed URLs, and user interactions—which competitors can then use as a base for their own systems. Certain sensitive data, such as account details, search histories, timestamps, and rare or lengthy queries, are suppressed to protect individuals.
Opening the Android Assistant Architecture
The second decision directly targets the Android ecosystem, involving significant shifts in Android architecture. Google is now required to open a set of operating system features to rival AI assistants. This allows a user to activate a competing assistant by voice, mirroring the “Hey Google” functionality, and lets these assistants act inside apps to perform tasks like booking a taxi or drafting a reply.
The timeline for these changes is fixed. Google must integrate most of these features with the release of Android 18, and by August 1, 2027, at the latest. Concurrent voice activation, which enables more than one assistant to respond to different wake words, carries a later deadline of August 1, 2028. According to the European Commission, this move is intended to address the asymmetry that exists because Google’s own Gemini assistant already has this level of access on Android.
Addressing the Privacy and Security Pushback
Google’s leadership formally disagrees with both rulings. Kent Walker, president of global affairs at Google and Alphabet, has stated that these decisions “risk undermining vital privacy and security guardrails” for millions of European users. The regulatory interoperability challenges are significant, as concerns center on exposing European search data to entities that may not have the same data-protection standards as Google, specifically raising questions about how this data is anonymized and whether users are adequately informed.
The Commission has countered these concerns by explaining that the anonymization process is a multi-layered technical solution developed with input from both internal and external privacy experts. This framework also includes contractual safeguards and allows Google to review an applicant against cybersecurity or data-protection criteria before sharing any data. The Commission intends to reassess these measures if independent testing indicates that the safeguards are failing.
The Hurdles of Eligibility
Whether these mandates translate into a more diverse search environment depends entirely on who can actually use the data. Access is not automatic. To benefit, providers must have at least 50,000 monthly EU users and pass either a two-year operating history or, failing that, an investment test. Furthermore, each applicant must pass a security screening and an independent audit before Google is allowed—or required—to share any data.
Established engines like Bing and DuckDuckGo may meet these conditions, but newer entrants will need to build the technical capacity to leverage this data effectively. As it stands, AI platforms still account for a small fraction of overall internet traffic—data from SE Ranking indicated that in early 2026, all AI platforms combined represented about 0.24% of global internet traffic.
What the Future Holds
For now, the status quo remains. Google will spend the remainder of 2026 developing the dataset and establishing the pricing terms, with a proposal due by January 2027. After that, access will be granted on an individual basis as companies license the data and agree on the pricing structure. The Commission plans to review the measures every two years, leaving the door open to adjust the requirements if the anonymization proves inadequate or if the market dynamics shift unexpectedly.
Whether these mandates succeed in broadening the number of engines and chatbots vying for visibility is a question for the coming years. The outcome depends less on the mandate itself than on the practical and operational effectiveness of the resulting search and assistant tools.
