The UK Competitions and Markets Authority is coming for Google.
The body today announced that new curbs on the search giant’s worst excesses could start coming into force from October.
It is using powers set out in the 2024 Digital Markets and Competition Act which allows the CMA to fine tech companies up to 10% of total turnover if they abuse their market position.
The CMA has indicated it will prioritise looking at Google AI Overviews, the article summaries which are stealing content and traffic from news websites. The hope is that publishers will be given an opt-out on appearing in AI Overviews and also start getting information from Google around whether clicks are coming via search or summaries.
This could all become moot if ChatGPT and other LLMs replace Google as the main way people search the internet.
But for now Google largely is the internet in the UK with around £20bn a year in advertising revenue. All that cash, data and entrenched technology mean the US tech giant is not going anywhere soon and better regulation to ensure fair play cannot come soon enough.
