Open Markets Institute Applauds EU Decision Forcing Google to Open Android and Search Data
The Open Markets Institute Europe applauds today’s decision by the European Commission forcing Google to open Android to rival AI services and share Google Search data with competitors. Without these orders, the 60% of Europeans who use an Android device would be locked into Gemini as their only system level AI assistant, and Google would continue to leverage its overwhelming monopoly over search data to gain an unfair advantage over its competitors in AI development.
"Google is building a monopoly machine – transforming its search data monopoly and operating system chokehold into market dominance in AI. This order will empower users to break free of Gemini, and competitors to develop better competing products,” said Max von Thun, Director of Open Markets Institute Europe. “US tech giants should not be allowed to exploit their monopoly power to dominate Europe's AI future, enroach on digital freedoms, and shut out European rivals. Technology is moving too fast for cautious enforcement. Swift, decisive action like this is needed to keep the market open and protect innovation, choice, privacy, competition and European sovereignty.”
The Android measures require Google to give competing AI assistants the same system-level access it reserves for Gemini. These measures are hugely significant: distribution and deep hardware integration will decide which AI assistants succeed, and system-level access is what lets an AI act as an agent rather than merely a chatbot. Between them, Google and Apple control over 99% of handsets in the EU. Without forcing these gatekeepers to open their systems, Gemini and Siri would be the only options for mobile AI assistants, leaving consumers with no choice and locking European innovators out of the market
Google also controls over 90% of Europe's online search market. According to today’s announcement, the Commission will require Google to share anonymized ranking, query, click, and view data with rival search engines and AI chatbots on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms, helping competitors improve their products and giving Europeans real choice.
The decision comes despite Google's lobbying effort to frame pro-competitive data sharing as a "privacy and security" issue. The measures announced today by the Commission show that user privacy can be protected while giving people greater choice and autonomy, in contrast to Google’s claims.