UK regulator imposes new conduct rules on Google's 90% search share

The UK competition watchdog gave publishers the right to block Google from using their content to train AI models, the first such requirement by a regulator.

Britain's Competition and Markets Authority on Wednesday imposed conduct requirements on Google's search services, giving publishers the right to opt out of training the US tech giant's AI models.

"The requirements give publishers more control and stronger bargaining power over the use of their content, while securing a fair deal," Sarah Cardell, chief executive of the CMA, said in a statement.

Google accounts for more than 90 percent of UK search queries, the regulator said. The company must also ensure content from publishers and news organizations is properly attributed in AI-generated search results using clear links. The requirements come under the UK's digital markets competition regime, which gives the CMA authority to set binding conduct rules for firms with strategic market status.

The rules target the intersection of search dominance and generative AI, where Google's ability to train models on publisher content without compensation has become a flashpoint. Google in March said it was developing new search controls to address British competition concerns, but the CMA said its requirements are designed to respond to what Google is doing now and in the future.

Regulatory Wave Intensifies

The UK action adds to a growing regulatory campaign against Google's search business. The US Department of Justice has pursued antitrust action over Google's search distribution agreements, while the European Union's Digital Markets Act imposes obligations on the company's search and advertising practices. The CMA's move is the first to explicitly require an AI training opt-out as part of search competition remedies.

For publishers, the opt-out provision addresses a central grievance: that Google extracts value from their content to train AI models that could eventually replace traditional search traffic. The requirement for clear attribution links in AI-generated results aims to preserve referral traffic, a key revenue source for news organizations that have seen search-driven visits decline as Google rolls out AI Overviews and other generative features.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside business hours. The company has previously argued that its AI features enhance the search experience and that it already provides tools for publishers to manage how their content appears in search results.

The CMA said it will monitor compliance and can impose fines if Google fails to meet the requirements. The regulator's digital markets unit, established under new competition powers that took effect this year, has signaled it intends to take an active role in policing Big Tech's behavior in the UK market. The next milestone will be Google's formal response to the conduct requirements, which the CMA expects within a specified timeframe.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.