The UK’s competition watchdog has laid out a potential roadmap for regulating Google, including proposals for “choice screens” and fairer search rankings, after formally designating the company with “strategic market status.” This move by the Competition and Market Authority (CMA) is the first of its kind and grants it the power to enforce significant changes in the UK search market.
The new status, enabled by the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, is reserved for companies with profound market power. The CMA pointed to Google’s control over 90% of UK searches as justification for applying this special regulatory regime, which allows for proactive and tailored interventions.
During a consultation period set to begin this year, the CMA will explore a number of remedies. Prominently featured is the idea of “choice screens,” which would ensure users are offered a selection of different search engines, including AI-powered newcomers like ChatGPT. The authority also intends to tackle the issue of biased search rankings and empower publishers with more control over how their content is displayed, particularly in Google’s AI features.
Google has expressed concern that such a regulatory approach could be detrimental to progress. The company’s senior competition director warned that the proposed interventions could “inhibit UK innovation and growth,” potentially delaying access to new technologies for British consumers. Legal experts, however, see the CMA’s action as a welcome and necessary step to address market dominance.
The CMA has been clear that this designation is not a penalty but the legal gateway to designing new market rules. It marks a significant escalation in the UK’s oversight of the tech sector. The regulator is also conducting a separate but related investigation into whether Apple and Google’s mobile ecosystems should be subject to the same strategic status.