World

EU Orders Google to Share Data, Access to Competitors

Is this leveling the playing field for Europeans or putting their data and security at risk?

Published JUL 17

EU Orders Google to Share Data, Access to Competitors

Story

Above: The Google logo displayed on a smartphone in front of an EU flag in Brussels in September 2025. Image credit: Nicolas Tucat/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-Europe narrative

The EU's Digital Markets Act is doing exactly what it should: leveling an unfair playing field that Google has tilted for years. Forcing Google to share search data and open Android to rival AI assistants gives Europeans real choices instead of a Google-curated experience. From now on, competitors finally get a fair shot at building innovative, privacy-focused alternatives.

European Commission

Opposition narrative

These EU rulings put millions of Europeans' private data at risk by forcing Google to hand sensitive search information to unfamiliar companies without proper anonymization or user consent. Once again, the EU is leaching off of U.S. success to compensate for a stagnant economy lacking an innovative tech sector.

Eric Daugherty on X Google