Google may now be forced to share search data with its competitors. The ruling, resulting from an ongoing lawsuit in the US, fulfilled a penalty for breaking up the company. US District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google had established an illegal monopoly in online search.

Google May Open Search Data to Competitors

According to the ruling, Google will be forced to open its most valuable resources, its search index and user behavior data, to its competitors. The company will offer competitors a one-time copy of its search index. Furthermore, data such as users’ search queries and which results they click on will be made available under certain conditions.

Experts say this data, which reflects user behavior, will help rival search engines improve. However, this poses serious privacy risks. For example, experts point out that a search for a rare health condition could reveal identities within a small region.

Google had raised these concerns in court. The company argues that search queries contain sensitive information and that the data could be misused in the wrong hands. This process will be overseen by an independent technical oversight committee that will serve for six years. The committee will: It will determine which companies will have access to the data, what security measures will be implemented, and in what format the data will be presented.

The US Department of Justice has argued that Google’s agreements with manufacturers like Apple and Samsung have excluded competitors. The new regulation aims to break the “feedback loop” that has consolidated Google’s power for years. However, Google is expected to appeal the decision, so it is unclear when the regulation will come into effect.