DuckDuckGo says Google should face fresh EU probes into compliance with tech rules

By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Alphabet (NASDAQ:)’s Google should face additional EU investigations into its compliance with landmark European Union rules aimed at reining in Big Tech’s power, rival internet search engine DuckDuckGo said on Wednesday.

Under the EU’s Digital Markets Act adopted in 2022, Google and six other tech companies are required to make it easier for users to switch to rival services and banned from favouring their products on their platforms, among other obligations.

The world’s most popular internet search engine is already the target of two DMA investigations related to its app store Google Play rules and whether it discriminates against third-party services on Google search results.

Privacy-focused DuckDuckGo, which had a global market share of 0.54% in January this year, according to research company Statista, urged the European Commission to open three additional investigations into Google’s alleged non-compliance with other DMA requirements.

“The DMA has yet to achieve its full potential, the search market in the EU has seen little movement, and we believe launching formal investigations is the only way to force Google into compliance,” Kamyl Bazbaz, DuckDuckGo’s vice-president for communications, wrote in a blogpost.

Google has said it expects to continue its compliance solutions within the framework of the DMA, citing its continued efforts to improve contestability and fairness in digital markets.

Bazbaz said one investigation should target Google’s proposal to license anonymised search data to rivals directed at European users, saying the method was overbroad and of little use to competitors.

“Google is trying to avoid its legal obligation in the name of privacy, which is ironic coming from the Internet’s biggest tracker,” Bazbaz said.

He said Google should also be investigated for allegedly failing to comply with the DMA obligations to allow users to easily switch to rival search engines.

DMA breaches can cost companies as much as 10% of their global annual turnover.