The UK competition regulator ordered Google on June 17 to provide greater transparency on how its search rankings work, as part of its drive to secure a “fairer deal” for businesses.
The move by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) was made amid concerns over the U.S. tech giant’s dominance.
According to the new rules, Google must rank organic search results using objective criteria, increase transparency around rankings, introduce clearer complaint processes, and allow users to transfer their search data to authorized third parties.
The CMA had assigned “strategic market status” to Google, which receives more than 90 percent of search queries in the UK.
That status allows the CMA to set targeted rules to increase transparency.
Will Hayter, executive director for digital markets at the CMA, said that the watchdog was “ensuring that Google’s search services work better for businesses and consumers across the UK.”
“Search is a vital gateway for businesses in the UK to reach customers, and clearer, predictable, and more transparent ranking systems could give them greater scope to expand and invest,” he said. “[The new measures] will ensure search results are ranked fairly and objectively, with clearer information about changes and effective routes to raise concerns.”
British businesses told the CMA that Google’s current ranking practices were neither fair nor transparent, that changes are being made without sufficient notice, and that the uncertainty was holding them back from investing in their own companies.
The regulator stated that it may introduce further measures if needed and that Google has six months to implement the fair ranking requirement, and three months for the data portability requirement.
A Google spokesperson told The Epoch Times that its ranking systems are “fair, transparent, and show the most relevant, highest quality results.”
“We are committed to protecting the integrity of our systems, and will work constructively with the CMA to ensure that we can uphold the high quality of Search for our users,” the company stated.
The new measures build on existing requirements announced by the regulator earlier this month that allow publishers to opt out of their content being used to power Google’s AI features.
News websites and other publishers have experienced sharp drops in click-through rates as a result of users’ reliance on overviews generated with the help of Google’s Gemini AI.
The CMA stated that Google would be required to ensure that content from publishers, including news organizations, was properly attributed in AI‑generated search results, using clear links.
Google faces increasing scrutiny worldwide, including in the United States and the European Union.
Jury Verdict
In the United States, Google, along with Meta, was found liable for causing psychological harm to a 20-year-old woman as a result of her being addicted to their respective YouTube and Instagram apps.The tech firms were ordered by a Los Angeles County court to pay $6 million in damages following the jury’s verdict on March 25.
Of the $3 million in compensatory damages, Meta was ordered to pay 70 percent and Google 30 percent. The jury awarded another $3 million in punitive damages, including $2.1 million from Meta and $900,000 from Google.
The verdict, which came after nine days of deliberation, sets the stage for thousands of related lawsuits brought by parents, children, school districts, and attorneys general across the country, offering a blueprint for how to argue such claims—and for what damages might be sought.
