The European Commission has presented Google with its preliminary findings under the Digital Markets Act, suggesting six specific measures for how Google should share search ranking, query, click, and view data with competing search engines. AI chatbots with search functionalities are also included as potential data recipients. A public consultation will begin tomorrow.
The findings, released on 16 April 2026, detail six obligation areas and initiate a public consultation on 17 April, inviting third parties, including Google’s competitors, to provide feedback on the proposed measures before finalization.
The six areas cover: eligibility of “data beneficiaries” to receive search data, including whether AI chatbots with search functionalities qualify; the scope of the data Google must share; the means and frequency of data sharing; measures to ensure anonymization of personal data; pricing parameters for data access; and governance processes for data access.
The pricing and access governance combination is significant, specifying commercial and technical terms of access.
The question of AI chatbot eligibility is a major part that could impact the market significantly.
Google holds extensive user behavior data on searches, clicks, and reformulating queries that have been difficult for competitors to replicate at scale. Competitors like Bing, DuckDuckGo, and Ecosia see this as a barrier to competition.
Under the DMA’s Article 6(11), access must be on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms, previously undefined. By including AI chatbots in the measures, the Commission indicates that it sees AI systems that answer queries as direct competitors to traditional search engines.
The preliminary findings are a midpoint in proceedings that began on 27 January 2026, aiming to define Google’s compliance rather than immediately accusing it of a breach, as existing data-sharing arrangements were insufficient.
The Commission must conclude the proceedings within six months from January, setting a deadline around late July 2026. Google can respond to the findings before final measures are implemented.
These proceedings don’t establish non-compliance but lay the groundwork for one. If Google doesn’t meet the final measures, the Commission could pursue a formal non-compliance decision, potentially imposing fines up to 10% of Alphabet’s global turnover, possibly exceeding $35 billion.
Google’s response to the January proceedings was skeptical. Clare Kelly, senior competition counsel, stated that Google was “already licensing Search data to competitors under the DMA” and warned that additional requirements could harm privacy, security, and innovation.
The Commission, represented by EVP Teresa Ribera, argues that useful data access is crucial to ensuring an open and fair market.
This action is one of several enforcement tracks under the DMA against Google. Another set of proceedings focuses on Google’s Android interoperability obligations, ensuring third-party AI services access the same Android features as Gemini.
Separately, in March 2025, the Commission made preliminary findings that Google Search unlawfully favored its own services like Google Shopping, Hotels, and Flights, with its own potential fines, progressing simultaneously.