(Jan 27): Google was handed a six-month European Union deadline to lift technical barriers to rival AI search assistants on Android and give key data to other search engine providers in the latest round of its Big Tech crackdown. EU watchdogs announced under the bloc’s flagship DMA they would review whether Google is in compliance with strict laws on making Android interoperable with competing AI software and also unlocking valuable search data — under fair terms — for rival search engines. While the announcement is a step shy of being a formal investigation, the EU aims to pressure Google to re-engineer its services to allow rival companies to access Android’s operating system and the company’s valuable search data. The wave of EU scrutiny risks adding to its €9.5 billion (RM44.64 billion) EU fines tally and worsening fraught relations with the Trump administration. Under Tuesday’s proceedings, the EU may later decide to launch a formal probe if Google doesn’t step into line.

Source: The Edge Markets January 27, 2026 10:37 UTC