The Competition and Markets Authority in the UK has told Google it must be transparent on how it ranks search results in Google and it must enable users to port its data to other third-party search services. I can't imagine Google will ever share its full secret sauce on how it ranks its search results, and it is not the first time some political body has asked Google to do so, and it won't be the last.
Google has to hand over its search ranking algorithm in 6 months and the data portability, it must do in 3 months.
"The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has today introduced 2 new conduct requirements for Google’s general search services under the UK’s digital markets competition regime. The first requires that Google improve transparency and fairness in how search results are ranked. The second requires Google to allow users to port their search data to authorised third parties such as rewards platforms or companies offering personalised offers or discount codes," the CMA wrote.
The CMA added that under this conduct requirement, Google must:
- Rank ‘organic’ search results using objective and non-discriminatory criteria (including in AI Overviews but not sponsored results)
- Provide greater transparency to businesses about how rankings work and give advance notice of significant changes
- Introduce clear processes for businesses to raise concerns about how Google ranks results and have them addressed effectively
And the CMA wants Google to hand over its data to third-parties so that they can build competitve solutions. "Third-party firms are keen to offer people new products and services based on their Google search data but need to be able to access it with confidence. Using this data would allow third parties to offer people more personalised features - like tailored travel suggestions, more relevant shopping deals, and rewards (including cashback and discounts)," they wrote.
Google has 6 months to implement the fair ranking requirement, and 3 months for the data portability requirement.
Forum discussion at X.
