Summary
- Google is complying with the Digital Markets Act by offering users the option to unlink certain Google services with a consent banner, although there are still some unknowns about data sharing.
- Users can keep the services linked or unlink them, with the option to change their choices until March 6.
- In addition to the consent banner, Google is making other changes, such as focusing search results on comparison sites and introducing choice screens for default search engines and browsers for users in the EU.
The European Commission’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) was drafted to curb Big Tech’s anticompetitive business practices in the continent. We’ve already learned how Google will comply with the law, which takes effect on March 6, 2024. Multiple steps have already been announced by the company, including letting users unlink certain Google services. We’re now getting the first glimpse at how Google will go about notifying consumers about unlinking one or more products.
A banner that appeared on our Google editor Manuel Vonau’s phone asks users if they want to keep the seven Google services linked. There are options to dive right into it with the Choose now button, while the second option says Ask me in a week. Choosing the former option opens up a list of the services that can be unlinked, followed by details on why these changes are taking place.
The What’s not changing section at the bottom of the page, however, leaves some unanswered questions. Back when Google published a support page detailing some of these upcoming changes in the EU, it said some data could still be shared among the unlinked services to avoid fraud, spam, etc., and “to comply with the law,” without offering additional details on what this means.
Similarly, this newly surfaced prompt/banner also comes with some unknowns about data sharing even if the services are unlinked. “Even if they’re not linked, Google services can always share data with each other to prevent fraud and abuse, effectively help you complete tasks, and for certain other purposes.” It’s unclear what Google means by “certain other purposes” in this context.
Further down the page, there’s information on how choices can be modified from the users’ Google accounts, with clarification that these changes will only take effect by March 6. Users will then find a couple of buttons to link or unlink all seven services, a More options button, and another Ask me in a week button.
Tapping More options lets you individually choose the products you want to link/unlink with a check box next to each service. Basic options like select all are also present. If you’re still unsure about the process at this point, Google gives you an easy exit with a third Ask me in a week button.
In a blog post last week, the legal director at Google, Oliver Bethell, detailed some of these upcoming changes, including the aforementioned consent banner for unlinking services. Additionally, Google is reportedly testing a few changes to the search results page when looking for items or hotels. This would include “focusing results just on comparison sites” rather than on single items or businesses. Meanwhile, the Google Flights unit is reportedly going away due to these changes.
Bethell then details how Android users in the region will start seeing new choice screens for the default search engine and browser when setting up their device. Chrome apps on iOS and desktops will also see these choice screens. Lastly, the company said it is testing a Data Portability API to “meet new requirements” related to moving user data to third-party services or apps.
It’s quite evident that Google isn’t too keen on these changes, with the company saying some of these changes could limit the choices for businesses and people across Europe. Bethell adds that these rules come with “difficult trade-offs.”
On top of Google parent Alphabet, companies like Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft have been designated as gatekeepers by EU regulators. These corporations will have to make certain changes to their operations, like Google is doing now, to comply with the Digital Markets Act.
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