UK regulator orders Google to improve search transparency

The United Kingdom's competition regulator has imposed new legal requirements on Google to increase transparency and fairness in its search services, responding to long-standing complaints from businesses about unpredictable and opaque ranking practices. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced the two conduct requirements on Wednesday, June 17, 2026.

Under the first requirement, Google must rank organic search results, including those within its AI Overviews feature, using "objective and nondiscriminatory criteria." The company must also be more transparent with businesses about how its ranking systems work, provide advance notice of significant changes, and establish an effective process for businesses to raise concerns. The regulator said it acted after businesses complained that Google's current ranking practices are neither fair nor transparent, that changes are implemented without sufficient notice, and that there is no effective way to challenge changes that harm them.

The second requirement makes a voluntary UK data portability tool a legal obligation. Google must allow users to transfer their search data to authorized third-party services, which aim to use...