Google Warns EU Rule Changes Risk Search Data Hacks

 

Certain provisions of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) could lead to increased fraud and the de-anonymization of search queries. This warning was issued by Google’s security and data protection managers, reports WIRED, citing documents. The European Commission is currently preparing final decisions on cases involving Google Search and Android’s compliance with existing legislation. The DMA, adopted at the end of 2022, aims to compel major platforms to open their systems and data to competitors. In April, the European Commission clarified how Google should share information. Competitors will gain access to data at a level comparable to what the corporation itself uses, including search query texts, some metadata, click information, and ranking results. Heather Adkins, Google’s Vice President of Security, told WIRED that the current requirements could negatively impact EU users. The company estimates that fraud cases will increase, and the new DMA provisions, if adopted, pose a risk of de-anonymizing queries and make such data sets more attractive targets for hackers. The European Commission proposes minimizing risks by prohibiting the re-identification of users and enhancing the security of sensitive information storage. However, the American corporation argues that these measures are insufficient: data will need to be shared with greater detail, and anonymization methods are vulnerable to hackers. Independent security expert Lukasz Olejnik wrote in his blog that data sanitization is inadequate for this scale. In contrast, DuckDuckGo believes that “the European Commission’s approach fits within the existing legal framework,” while Alice Cooper, Executive Director of the Knight-Georgetown Institute, told WIRED that the proposed data-sharing regime is sustainable and suggested involving independent experts for review. A separate set of requirements pertains to Android. Eugene Liderman, responsible for the operating system’s security, warned that malicious actors could exploit broader access to permissions, microphones, cameras, and screen information. According to WIRED, Apple’s position partially supports Google’s stance on this issue. Previously, the company Anthropic, best known as the developer of the chatbot Claude, published proposals for the safe deployment of AI agents in corporate environments.