Summary
- DMA would force Google to share anonymized search data, letting rivals and AI challenge its monopoly.
- Google warns shared data and Android permissions for third-party AI could spike fraud and cyberattacks.
- EU aims to level search competition, but regulators and Google clash over privacy vs fairness ahead of July 27.
Google claims that the EU’s latest Digital Markets Act (DMA) proposals could expose millions of users to greater privacy and security risks, all for the sake of boosting competition.
The goal of the preliminary findings is to give smaller search engines a shot at competing with Google by allowing third-party search engines to access search data, such as ranking, query, click and view data, on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.
Right now, the majority of websites are at the whims of Google’s proprietary algorithm, which, if changed, can wipe out websites overnight by tanking their traffic.
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What has the European Commission got to say?
The European Commission has sent Google preliminary findings outlining proposed measures to comply with the DMA. Here’s what the EU wants to cover:
- The eligibility of data beneficiaries to receive search data, including that of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots with search functionalities;
- The scope of the search data that Google must share;
- The means and frequency by which Google must share search data;
- Measures to ensure the anonymisation of personal data;
- Parameters for setting fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory prices for search data; and
- Processes governing beneficiaries’ access to search data.
If this is enacted, Google will have to share its anonymized search info and data, meaning smaller search engines and AI tools can use it to improve and chip away at Google’s monopoly.
Speaking to Wired, Google is standing firm against this idea. It argues that rules meant to loosen its grip on Search and Android could expose millions of users to more fraud and cyberattacks. Heather Adkins, Google’s vice president of security engineering and one of the company’s earliest security leaders, claimed that hackers would likely start exploiting the new system within weeks, especially if Android grants third-party AI services greater access to sensitive permissions such as microphones, cameras, on-screen content, and installed apps.
It is true that Google can’t keep search data safe once it’s out of their hands, and that smaller companies could become easy targets for hackers. With the July 27 deadline coming up, things are getting tense between regulators and Google. It’s a tricky situation: how do you make things fairer without opening the door to more scams and hacks if that data leaves Google’s hands?