The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has issued two important conduct requirements legally binding Google to overhaul its search ecosystem. Designed to protect consumers and unlock economic growth under the UK’s digital markets competition regime, these mandates address long-standing complaints regarding unfair ranking practices and restricted data access.
Enforcing Fairness in Search Rankings
The first requirement targets algorithm transparency, forcing Google to rank organic search results—including those featured in AI Overviews and AI Mode—using objective, non-discriminatory criteria. Previously, UK businesses reported that sudden, unnotified shifts in search visibility stifled their ability to invest and grow. Google now has six months to implement these rules, which require the tech giant to provide advance notice of significant ranking alterations and establish clear, effective channels for businesses to resolve grievances.
Unlocking Choice Through Data Portability
The second mandate puts Google’s voluntary UK Data Portability Application Programming Interface (API) on a strict legal footing, aligning UK consumer protections with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Under this requirement, Google must allow users to securely port their search data to authorized third parties, such as rewards platforms or personalized discount services. Google has three months to comply with this standard.
Addressing Consultation and Data Limits
During the extensive consultation process, the CMA refined its approach based on stakeholder feedback. While some businesses lobbied for an expanded data scope, the CMA explicitly clarified in its Interpretative Notes that the mandate excludes “derived or inferred” data—such as secondary user profiles created internally by Google. The scope remains strictly limited to data generated directly by active, signed-in UK users.
Furthermore, rather than forcing Google to implement complex real-time data streaming, the CMA opted for a flexible “reasonable business needs” standard to avoid disproportionate technical burdens. The regulator also updated its guidelines to establish clear benchmarks for system uptime and defined what constitutes sufficient notice for material API changes.
Google must submit an annual compliance report containing month-by-month performance metrics to ensure transparency. The CMA will continuously monitor the impact of these regulations as part of its ongoing oversight of tech giants holding Strategic Market Status (SMS).
