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CMA · Google · Regulation · Search
The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) legally mandated Google to improve transparency and fairness in its search rankings and made a voluntary data-sharing tool a legal requirement, following its designation of Google with strategic market status due to its over 90% UK search dominance.
The CMA stated these two new conduct requirements, announced on Wednesday, secure a "fairer deal" for firms and users, requiring Google to rank "organic" search results using objective and non-discriminatory criteria. Businesses previously claimed Google's ranking practices were unfair and opaque, making changes without sufficient notice and lacking effective channels for concerns.
Google's UK Data Portability Application Programming Interface, which facilitates data sharing, now becomes legally binding. Google stated its ranking systems are fair and transparent and committed to working constructively with the CMA.
These measures follow previous CMA requirements two weeks prior, enabling news groups to opt out of Google's AI Overviews.
