The European Commission has intensified its regulatory pressure on Google with a proposal that would require the company to provide access to portions of its search data to third-party search engines, including artificial intelligence-powered chatbots with integrated search capabilities. The move forms part of enforcement efforts under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), aimed at curbing the dominance of major digital platforms in Europe’s tech ecosystem.

According to the Commission, the proposed framework would define the scope, methodology, and frequency of data sharing, while also setting conditions for anonymisation, access controls, and pricing structures. The objective, regulators say, is to enable rival search engines—referred to as “data beneficiaries”—to improve their services and better compete with Google Search’s entrenched market position.

The proposal also explicitly includes AI-driven search tools, reflecting the growing convergence between traditional search engines and generative artificial intelligence platforms that increasingly rely on indexed web data to deliver responses.

Google has pushed back strongly against the plan, warning that it could expose highly sensitive user information and undermine privacy protections. Clare Kelly, the company’s senior competition counsel, argued that Europeans trust Google with deeply personal queries spanning health, family matters, and financial concerns, and that forced data sharing could create “dangerously ineffective privacy protections.”

The company has indicated it will challenge the measures, describing them as excessive and disproportionate. Google has also submitted its own set of proposals in an attempt to address regulatory concerns, although competitors have reportedly criticised those efforts as insufficient to meaningfully level the playing field.

Under the DMA framework, enforcement powers are substantial. The legislation allows fines of up to 10% of a company’s global annual revenue for non-compliance. Google, already under significant regulatory scrutiny in Europe, has accumulated approximately €9.71 billion in antitrust fines since 2017 across various cases.

The Commission’s consultation process remains ongoing, with stakeholders invited to submit feedback on the proposed measures until May 1. A final decision is expected in July, setting the stage for what could become one of the most consequential regulatory interventions in the global search and AI ecosystem.

At its core, the dispute highlights a broader tension shaping the tech industry: how to balance competition policy with privacy protections in an era where search engines and AI systems are increasingly intertwined, and where control over data remains a defining source of market power.