European regulators are increasing pressure on Google 
googlesuggested the company could face further regulatory repercussions if it fails to align its Android and search businesses under the European Union’s Digital Markets Law. The EU watchdog said it has begun a process to assess whether Google is meeting its obligations to remove technical barriers to competing AI search assistants on Android and provide competing search engines with access to key search data on fair terms. The move does not result in a formal investigation, but the company has six months to prove compliance or face further action from Brussels.
EU competition chief Teresa Rivera said the procedure aims to clarify how Google should meet interoperability and online search data sharing requirements under the DMA. The process is aimed at allowing the company to redesign parts of its service and give it more access to valuable search data from the Android operating system and its rivals. Google has pushed back against this approach, with senior competition lawyer Claire Kelly warning that further rules, which the company says are often driven by competitor complaints rather than consumer interests, could raise concerns about user privacy, security and innovation.
The latest development widens the list of regulatory challenges for Alphabet Inc.’s Google in Europe. The company already faces potential penalties under the DMA for allegedly favoring its own services in search and restricting app developers from directing users to offers outside its own Play Store, but a separate investigation is looking into whether certain news results are being unfairly demoted. Together, these incidents add to Google’s existing EU9.5 billion fine and could further strain relations with the Trump administration, leaving regulators open to a formal investigation and potentially imposing fines of up to 10% of annual global revenue if compliance efforts fall short.
