Google receives a call from DuckDuckGo for EU investigation into compliance with technical rules
Alphabet’s Google faced a call on Wednesday for additional investigation into compliance with important European Union rules aimed at curbing Big Tech.
Privacy-focused Internet search engine DuckDuckGo, which had a global market share of 0.54 percent according to research firm Statista in January this year, urged the European Commission to open three additional investigations.
Under the EU law on digital markets adopted in 2022, Google and six other tech companies are required to make it easier for users to switch to competing services and will be banned from favoring their products on their platforms , among other obligations.
“The DMA has yet to reach its full potential, the EU search market has seen little movement and we believe launching formal investigations is the only way to force Google to comply,” said Kamyl Bazbaz, senior vice president for public affairs from DuckDuckGo. , wrote in a blog.
The world’s most popular Internet search engine is already the target of two DMA investigations into the rules of the Google Play app store and whether it discriminates against third-party services in Google’s search results.
Google said it was working with industry, experts and the Commission and has made significant changes to its products to comply with the DMA.
“This includes offering consumers and businesses even more choice about which services they use. When consumers use our services, they expect their data to be protected. We will not compromise that trust to give competitors greater access to sensitive data,” a Google spokesperson said.
The Commission declined to comment on DuckDuckgo’s allegations, saying it was fully committed to ensuring the implementation and enforcement of the DMA.
Bazbaz said one investigation should focus on Google’s proposal to license anonymized search data to rivals targeting European users. He said this data set probably excludes 99% of searches, making it essentially useless to competitors.
“Google is trying to skirt its legal obligation in the name of privacy, which is ironic coming from the Internet’s largest tracker,” Bazbaz said.
He said Google should also be investigated for allegedly failing to comply with DMA obligations to allow users to easily switch to competing search engines.
If companies are found to have violated the DMA, it could cost them as much as 10 percent of their global annual revenue.
© Thomson Reuters 2024
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