The British regulator regulates Google because of its strategic status in the market, with deadlines of six months and three months to comply.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced this Wednesday that it was imposing two obligations on Google linked to its strategic status in the market, including a commitment to “improve the transparency and fairness” of online searches for businesses. The American giant concentrates more than 90% of search queries in the United Kingdom.
Two obligations and a constrained schedule
First obligation, the CMA requires Google to make its ranking systems clearer, predictable and transparent for businesses that rely on search rankings, with a compliance deadline set at six months.
Second obligation, within three months, Google must allow users to transfer, if they wish, their search data to third-party companies, in order to benefit from more personalized features such as tailor-made travel suggestions or more relevant purchasing offers. The scope in the United Kingdom aligns with a possibility already planned in the European Union.
Will Hayter, executive director of the CMA, highlights the economic significance for local players: “For UK businesses, search is a vital way of reaching their customers. Clearer, predictable and transparent ranking systems could offer them better prospects for expansion and investment.”
At the beginning of June, the CMA had already demanded that Google allow websites in the United Kingdom, including information sites, to refuse to allow their content to feed the group’s AI search functionalities. For its part, Google assures: “Our ranking systems are fair, transparent and present the most relevant and high quality results”, while saying it wants to “work constructively with the CMA”.
A setting inspired by Europe and an announced sequel
The CMA recalls that Google’s strategic status in the market is subject to stricter rules than its competitors. Last October, the authority designated the group as a company with this status, due to the dominance of its engine. This British framework is inspired by the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which imposes transparency and portability obligations on large platforms; At the European level, Google has already increased its transparency commitments on targeted advertising.
The regulator finally signals that other announcements will take place during the summer, suggesting a continued regulatory sequence targeting Google in online search and the uses of artificial intelligence.
