Google is facing multiple antitrust lawsuits in the US, and European regulators are similarly tightening the screws. You can now add the UK to Google's list of government problems. The country's competition regulator, known as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has confirmed that Google has “strategic market status”, paving the way for further restrictions on Google doing business in the UK. Naturally, Google objects to this course of action.
The designation relates to the UK's new digital markets competition regime, which was introduced at the start of the year. Shortly afterwards, the CMA announced that it was investigating whether Google should be given strategic market status. The result of this process is a resounding “yes.”
This label does not mean that Google has done anything illegal or that it is immediately subject to regulation. This simply means that the company has “substantial and entrenched market power” in one or more areas within the CMA's remit. In particular, the agency found that Google dominates search and search advertising, accounting for more than 90 percent of online searches in the UK.
In Google's antitrust proceedings in the US, the rapid growth of generative AI muddied the waters. Google has repeatedly said that the increase in the number of artificial intelligence companies offering search services means there is enough competition. In the UK, regulators note that Google's AI assistant Gemini is not within the scope of determining strategic market status. However, some AI features related to search are included, such as AI reviews and AI mode.
According to SMAConsultations on possible measures to ensure effective competition will begin later this year. The agency's first set of antitrust measures will likely expand on solutions that Google has introduced in other regions or offered on a voluntary basis in the UK. This could include giving publishers more control over how their data is used in search and “choice screens” that offer users alternatives to Google. Measures requiring new action by Google could be announced in the first half of 2026.
