Turkey Launches Antitrust Probe into Google Over AI Features, Issues Interim Injunction

The Turkish Competition Authority has launched a formal antitrust investigation against Google, suspecting the technology giant of violating fair competition laws within the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, the BELTA news agency reports via TRT Haber.

Publisher Traffic and Revenue at Stake

The state regulator explicitly voiced severe concerns regarding how Google implements its AI tools. According to the authority, the AI-generated summaries and overviews provided by Google are highly likely to drastically reduce referral traffic and advertising revenue for domestic media companies and local publishers.

The comprehensive antitrust scrutiny targets multiple corporate entities within Alphabet Inc., including Google Ireland Limited, Google LLC, Google International LLC, as well as the regional subsidiary, Google Advertising and Marketing Ltd.

Interim Compliance Order Issued

While the deep dive into Google's market practices is underway, the Turkish regulator has enacted a strict interim measure. The authority has officially banned Google from mandatorily or forcefully integrating the content of local news websites into its specialized AI-driven overviews and summaries, forcing the tech company to respect publisher choice until a final ruling is reached.