Italy: Closed AGCM investigation into Google for abuse of dominant position in data portability with commitments

On 31 July 2023, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) closed its investigation into Google regarding the alleged abuse of its dominant position in the user data portability market after accepting commitments proposed by the company. The AGCM launched its investigation in July 2022 to determine whether Google hindered interoperability in sharing data with other digital service platforms, particularly the Weople App, and compressed the GDPR’s data portability right. Furthermore, the AGCM examined whether Google’s practices reduce the benefits that consumers can derive from their own data as well as limiting competition. In particular, Google's proposed commitments include measures to facilitate data export, changes to its data backup service to improve interoperability, and a forthcoming direct data portability service with testing opportunities that will be provided to third-party operators in advance. These measures aim to facilitate data sharing with third-party operators and grant users greater control over their data.