UK Regulator Pressures Google to Open Up Search Market Amid Monopoly Concerns

UK competition watchdog proposes reforms to Google’s search dominance, warning current system may harm innovation and consumer choice

Google could soon be forced to overhaul its search operations in the United Kingdom as the country’s competition watchdog intensifies scrutiny under newly strengthened regulatory powers. 

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced Monday that it is assessing whether Google’s dominant position in the online search market is stifling competition, and outlined a potential roadmap of changes the company may need to adopt by October.

The investigation, launched in January, is part of the CMA’s expanded authority under the UK’s new digital markets legislation. While the regulator has stopped short of accusing Google of outright anti-competitive behavior, it warned that the company’s control with over 90% of the UK search market may be limiting consumer choice and inflating business costs. More than 200,000 UK businesses currently rely on Google’s search advertising tools to reach customers, spending an average of £33,000 annually.

CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said the current system, while offering “tremendous benefits,” may no longer serve the best interests of users and businesses. “Our investigation so far suggests there are ways to make these markets more open, competitive and innovative,” Cardell said. She pointed to “targeted and proportionate” measures that could restore balance, such as choice screens to let users select alternative search engines, and greater transparency for publishers whose content appears in Google search results.

Google, which is owned by US-based parent company Alphabet, rejected the CMA’s suggestions as “broad and unfocused,” but said it would cooperate with the investigation. The company warned, however, that the proposed changes “could have significant implications for businesses and consumers in the UK.”

The UK’s inquiry adds to a growing list of regulatory challenges facing Google globally. In the United States, a federal judge ruled last August that the company had illegally maintained a monopoly in online search, while in the European Union, it has faced billions in fines including a €2.4 billion penalty for allegedly favouring its own shopping comparison service in search rankings.

With final recommendations expected later this year, the CMA’s probe signals a broader shift in how tech giants are being regulated in the UK, particularly those whose platforms underpin digital commerce and communication. If the watchdog concludes that Google’s practices are distorting the market, it could mandate structural reforms, an unprecedented step with ripple effects across the digital economy.

As Google prepares to defend its practices, and rivals such as DuckDuckGo and Bing push for fairer footing, the outcome of this case could reshape not just how Britons search online but how digital dominance is policed in the post-Brexit era.