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2h ago

UK Regulator Grants Google Search ‘Strategic Market Status,’ Setting Stage for Targeted Rules

The CMA can now consult on proportionate measures to open general search to more competition without a finding of wrongdoing.

The Google logo is seen outside the company's offices in London, Britain, June 24, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
London, UK - 14 July, 2025: long exposure shot depicting the blurred motion of people outside the Google headquarters at King's Cross in London. It is the first building owned and designed by Google outside the United States.
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FILE - A Google sign is displayed at the company's office in San Francisco, April 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

Overview

  • Designation covers Google Search and related features such as AI Overviews, AI Mode, Discover, Top Stories and the News tab, with Gemini excluded for now and kept under review.
  • The CMA found Google holds substantial and entrenched power with over 90% of UK searches, and says more than 200,000 UK businesses rely on its search advertising.
  • Proposed remedies to be consulted on later this year include choice screens for alternative search engines, fair ranking principles, publisher controls over content use and data portability.
  • Google warns that potential interventions could slow product launches, hinder innovation in the UK and may lead some businesses to raise prices.
  • This is the first use of powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act, with parallel inquiries continuing, including a separate review of mobile ecosystems.