The European Commission has sent preliminary findings to Google proposing measures to share search data with rival search engines, including AI chatbots that qualify as online search engines under the DMA, across the EU and EEA.
Under the proposal, Google must share four categories of anonymized data on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms.
The categories are ranking, query, click, and view data. The Commission says the aim is to allow third-party search engines to “optimise their search services and contest Google Search’s position.”
The measures are not yet binding. A public consultation is open until May, and a final decision is due by July 27.
What’s In The Proposal
The Commission’s proposed measures cover six areas:
- Eligibility criteria for data beneficiaries, including AI chatbots with search capabilities
- The extent of search data that Google is required to share
- Methods and intervals for sharing data
- Anonymization standards for personal data
- Guidelines for determining FRAND pricing
- Procedures for how beneficiaries access the data
The data will be available to eligible third parties operating search engines in the EEA, including AI chatbot providers that qualify as such.
This is Article 6(11) proceeding following the Commission’s opening on January 27. A separate Article 6(7) proceeding addresses Android interoperability for third-party AI. Both aim to turn broad DMA obligations into specific, enforceable rules.
AI Chatbots Are Eligible
Eligibility criteria for qualifying AI chatbots are what change the picture for AI search visibility.
Under the proposal, AI chatbots meeting the DMA’s definition of online search engines could access Google’s anonymized search data. Qualified AI search products might use this data to improve their retrieval and ranking systems.
The proposed measures specify data sharing methods, frequency, access, and pricing, with technical details to be finalized.
Google Is Pushing Back
Google opposed the proposal in a statement provided to multiple outlets. Clare Kelly, Senior Competition Counsel at Google, said in a statement to Engadget:
“Hundreds of millions of Europeans trust Google with their most sensitive searches — including private questions about their health, family, and finances — and the Commission’s proposal would force us to hand this data over to third parties, with dangerously ineffective privacy protections. We will continue to vigorously defend against this overreach, which far exceeds the DMA’s original mandate and jeopardizes people’s privacy and security.”
Google also told The Register the investigation appears to be driven “at least in part by OpenAI,” which it claims is “seeking to take advantage of the DMA to harvest data from Google in ways not anticipated by the drafters of the DMA.”
The company is fighting on several DMA fronts. Brussels sent preliminary findings in 2025 on a separate Article 6(5) self-preferencing case. In February, Google began testing search result changes in the EU to address that proceeding.
Why This Matters
The measures are preliminary and, if adopted, applicable only in the EEA. Anonymization and pricing details remain open through the May consultation.
The longer-term issue is whether AI chatbot eligibility survives the final decision in July.
If the EU proposal is adopted with eligibility for AI chatbots, eligible products serving EU/EEA users could access anonymized signals from Google Search.
The proposal doesn’t give AI chatbots access to Google’s index but instead allows access to data similar to what Alphabet uses to optimize its search services, which differs from current AI search data sources.
Looking Ahead
The public consultation closes on May 1, and the Commission will assess the feedback before making a final, binding decision by July 27, which will apply to Google.
These proceedings do not constitute a non-compliance finding, but separate DMA enforcement can impose fines up to 10% of global turnover. The next milestone for AI visibility practitioners is the consultation outcome.
If the Commission maintains eligibility for AI chatbots, the focus shifts to how quickly data-sharing arrangements enable AI tools to compete for citation visibility.
Featured Image: Samuel Boivin/Shutterstock
