United Kingdom: Competition and Markets Authority opened consultation on conduct requirements for Google Search Services following strategic market status designation

On 28 January 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a consultation on proposed conduct requirements for Google’s search services in the United Kingdom until 25 February 2026. The consultation follows Google’s designation as having strategic market status in search services under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. The CMA proposals would impose targeted rules on Google intended to advance the statutory objectives of fair dealing, open choices, and trust and transparency. The consultation covers four areas. The first area is publisher controls concerning how publisher content is used and attributed in Google’s AI Overviews. The second area is fair ranking, including transparency and processes for raising issues about ranking outcomes. The third area is choice screens on Android devices and the Chrome browser to facilitate switching. The fourth area is data portability to support access to and reuse of search-related data. The CMA stated that it will take a final decision after considering responses.