Google challenges EU search-data order: What it means for privacy and searches
Google has challenged two European Union orders requiring it to open parts of its services to rivals, including AI developers and competing search engines.
On 28 September 2026, the Alphabet-owned company appealed the measures before the General Court in Luxembourg, arguing that they could compromise the privacy and security of European users.
The dispute centres on the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). In July, the European Commission ordered Google to make certain Android features accessible to competitors and provide eligible rival search providers with anonymised Google Search data.
The search data-sharing requirements are scheduled to take effect in January 2027, while the Android interoperability measures are due to take effect in July 2027.
Why is Google challenging the EU orders?
Google argues that the search data it has been ordered to share could expose sensitive information if it is not adequately anonymised.
On 29 September, Google’s senior director of competition, Oliver Bethell, expressed concern that the measures could require the company to share private search data without sufficient safeguards. Google also claims that the Android interoperability requirements could weaken security protections.
Search queries can reveal highly personal information, including details about users’ health, relationships and other private matters. Google argues that inadequate anonymisation could therefore create lasting privacy risks.
What search data could rivals receive?
The European Commission has ruled on 16 July that Google must supply anonymised information about queries, ranking, clicks and views to eligible search competitors. The data aims to help competitors improve their search services and compete with Google Search.
The EU does not call for Google to give up users’ account details or full search histories, it says. Its protections cover the removal of exact timings, the ability to filter out extremely long or uncommon queries, the generalisation of location data and the modification of interaction data prior to its disclosure.
EU says safeguards are built into the system
The data-sharing system was designed with privacy and security protections, the European Commission says. It also stipulates that access to the dataset must be subject to certain requirements, including data protection and data transfers abroad.
The Commission’s goal is to provide alternative search engines and AI search services with sufficient data to enhance their offerings, possibly for European users.
DuckDuckGo backs the EU position
According to Reuters, the Commission has been endorsed by search firm DuckDuckGo, which emphasises privacy. On September 29, a company spokesperson stated that the anonymisation framework is sound and that Google’s appeal will have a major impact on the implementation process.
The case has now made privacy the focus of Google’s latest legal battle with the EU regulators. The General Court’s handling of Google’s challenges could determine how far the DMA can go in requiring a dominant technology platform to share data while protecting the privacy of the people who generate it.
