Google may be forced to make changes to search engine in UK
1 hour ago Share Save Tom Gerken Technology reporter Share Save
Getty Images
Google may have to make changes in the UK so people have more choice over which search engine they use, following a landmark decision from the regulator. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has designated Google with "strategic market status" under a law which came into force in January. The decision does not mean the regulator has found wrongdoing at this stage. Instead, it opens the door to what it called "proportionate, targeted interventions" to ensure the market is competitive. Google has warned against any measures which its says might "inhibit UK innovation and growth."
The CMA said it expected to begin a consultation on what changes might be introduced later in 2025. In response to the announcement, Google has attempted to emphasise what it sees as the advantages of the regulatory status quo. "UK businesses and consumers have been amongst the first to benefit from Google's innovations, often months before their European counterparts," Google's competition boss Oliver Bethell wrote in a blog post. "As a result, they see significant value: Google Search contributes billions of pounds a year to the UK economy — £118 billion in 2023 alone. "Many of the ideas for interventions that have been raised in this process would inhibit UK innovation and growth, potentially slowing product launches at a time of profound AI-based innovation."
Roadmap of measures