Google gets 'strategic market status' in the UK

Technology Oct 10, 2025

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) just named Google a "strategic market status" player for search and search ads.
This move, under a 2025 law, follows months of investigation and chats with over 80 groups.

What does this mean for Google?

Google basically runs the show for search in the UK, handling more than 90% of searches and helping over 200,000 businesses advertise.
With this new status, the CMA can set strict rules—think fines up to 10% of Google's global revenue if they flout the legislation.
The goal is to give people more choice (like seeing other search engines), make rankings fairer, and help publishers understand how their content gets used by AI tools.
Google says some changes could slow down innovation in the UK's fast-moving AI scene.