Google Forced into Total Overhaul: What This Means for Users

Jakarta - Google is once again facing pressure from the European Commission. The tech giant from Cupertino has been ordered to overhaul its platform system, allowing third-party search engines to access Google’s search data. The search data in question also includes data from AI chatbots with search functions. This is to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in force in the European Union. Google’s senior competition advisor, Clare Kelly, stated that the tech giant will fight these measures. Google considers the European Commission’s demands excessive and believes they will endanger user privacy. “Hundreds of millions of Europeans entrust their most sensitive searches to Google, including personal questions about health, family, and finances. The European Commission’s proposal would force us to hand over this data to third parties, with highly ineffective privacy protections,” she said in a statement, quoted from Reuters, Friday (17/4/2026). The European Commission stated that the proposed data access proposal for third parties includes the scope, method, and frequency of search data. These measures also ensure that personal data is anonymised. “The aim of these measures is to enable third-party search engines, or ‘data beneficiaries’, to optimise their search services and compete with Google Search’s position,” the commission said. Stakeholders have until 1 May 2026 to submit their views on the proposed measures, with the final decision to be made in July 2026. Previously, Google, the world’s most popular search engine, was charged in March 2025 for violating the DMA. They had made their own proposal to appease competitors and EU regulators, but competitors complained that the measures were inadequate. Google has been fined €9.71 billion or Rp196 trillion since 2017 for various antitrust violations in Europe. Fines for DMA violations can reach up to 10% of the company’s global annual revenue.