The European Commission has ordered Google to open its Android operating system to rival AI assistants and share search data with competitors, in two rulings under the Digital Markets Act. The measures represent some of the most significant regulatory interventions in the tech sector to date.
The first ruling requires Google to give third-party AI assistants the same level of access to Android system features and user data that its own Gemini assistant enjoys. This means rival AI services will be able to integrate deeply with the operating system, accessing capabilities such as voice interaction, screen context, and cross-app actions that were previously reserved for Google’s own products.
The second ruling orders Google to share search data with other search engines. The Commission argued that Google’s dominance in search creates an information asymmetry that prevents competitors from effectively challenging its market position. By sharing the data that only a large-scale search engine can accumulate, the EU aims to level the playing field.
Google has pushed back against the measures, warning that they could create security and privacy risks for users. The company argued that opening system-level permissions to third-party AI assistants could be exploited by malicious actors and that sharing search data could expose user behaviour patterns.
The rulings mark a significant escalation in the EU’s enforcement of the Digital Markets Act, which designates large online platforms as “gatekeepers” subject to stricter rules. The Commission has been investigating Google’s compliance with the DMA since the regulation came into effect, and these measures represent the first formal compliance requirements issued under the framework.
This article was adapted from Ars Technica. Read the original here.
