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UK Competition Watchdog to Investigate Google Search Services

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The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced on Tuesday that it will use newly acquired regulatory powers to investigate Google’s search services. The investigation will examine how these services affect consumers, businesses, advertisers, and competitors, following growing U.S. calls for regulatory action against the tech giant.

The CMA emphasized that search is crucial for economic growth, with millions of consumers and over 200,000 UK businesses relying on Google’s search and advertising services. Google dominates the search market with 90% of searches in the UK taking place on its platform. The CMA’s role, according to its CEO Sarah Cardell, is to ensure fair competition in the sector, allowing consumers to fully benefit from choice and innovation.

Responding to the investigation, Google’s competition director, Oliver Bethell, pointed out the CMA’s acknowledgment of the sector’s importance for growth. Google plans to engage with the CMA to explain how its services benefit consumers and businesses, while also highlighting potential drawbacks of overly prescriptive regulations. Bethell stressed the importance of a balanced regulatory approach that fosters innovation and consumer choice.

This move comes in the wake of pressure from U.S. prosecutors, who in November argued that Google should be forced to sell its Chrome browser and make search results and data available to competitors. In the U.S., a judge ruled in August that Google had violated antitrust laws, having spent billions to become the default search engine worldwide.

In the UK, Google is already facing scrutiny from the CMA in relation to the cloud computing market, alongside Amazon and Microsoft, as well as its dominance in mobile browsers in collaboration with Apple. The CMA is empowered by new regulations to designate companies with Strategic Market Status (SMS), allowing for in-depth investigations of firms like Google.

The CMA’s investigation will assess whether Google holds SMS in both search and search advertising markets. It will also explore if Google’s market dominance leads to preferential treatment for its own services, as well as the potential barriers to entry and innovation in the sector. Additionally, the watchdog will look into how Google handles consumer data.

The rise of AI-powered search engines, like ChatGPT, poses a long-term challenge to Google’s market dominance. The CMA will also consider whether Google is using its influence to shape the development of new AI services and interfaces to mitigate these emerging competitors. The investigation, which could last up to nine months, may lead to regulatory interventions such as requiring Google to share data with other businesses or allowing publishers more control over how their content is used in Google’s AI services.

 

China Announces Crackdown on Illegal Data Handling

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China’s state planner announced plans to intensify efforts to combat illegal practices related to data acquisition, sale, and provision, through newly published regulations aimed at bolstering data circulation security. The authorities are targeting “black and grey industries” involved in the illegal handling of data, with a strong focus on preventing misuse and ensuring the safe and secure flow of data.

The regulations emphasize the importance of tightening data security risk monitoring, particularly in critical industries and sectors. The Chinese government aims to address systemic and large-scale data security risks, ensuring national security and social stability in an increasingly digital world.

The move is part of China’s broader effort to strengthen governance over data use and enhance oversight in response to rising concerns about data privacy and protection.

 

Indonesia to Implement Child Protection Guidelines for Social Media Ahead of Age-Limit Law

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Indonesia is taking steps to enhance child protection on social media platforms while the government works on creating a law to set a minimum age for users. This move follows discussions between communications minister Meutya Hafid and President Prabowo Subianto about safeguarding children online. The country will impose interim regulations requiring social media companies to follow child protection guidelines, focusing on preventing physical, mental, or moral harm to minors.

The government’s action comes after Australia implemented a similar measure, banning children under 16 from accessing social media platforms, and penalizing tech giants like Meta and TikTok if they failed to enforce the rule. While Indonesia is working toward formalizing the law, senior communications ministry official Alexander Sabar emphasized that these new guidelines would not completely restrict children’s access to social media, but rather aim to protect them from harmful content.

Meta and TikTok have yet to respond to requests for comment on the matter. Local parents, like Nurmayanti, have expressed support for measures to protect children from inappropriate content. However, Anis Hidayah, a commissioner with Indonesia’s human rights body, cautioned that while child protection is critical, the government must balance the measures with children’s right to access information. Surveys show nearly half of children under 12 in Indonesia use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.