Turkey’s competition authority opens a probe into Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode and imposes interim measures

What the probe covers

Turkey’s Competition Board has opened an investigation into AI Overviews and AI Mode in Google Search. The Turkish Competition Authority announced the decision on its website on Nov. 2. The probe covers the economic unit formed by Alphabet Inc., Google Ireland Limited, Google LLC, Google International LLC and Google Reklamcılık ve Pazarlama Ltd. Şti. It will determine whether the features violate Article 6 of Law No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition, which prohibits abuse of a dominant position.

The decision follows a preliminary inquiry the board opened on Aug. 27. That inquiry looked at how the features change the way users access information and whether they reduce traffic to news publishers and other content creators. It also examined whether terms in Google’s content agreements with publishers are unfair. The inquiry further looked at whether the features shut out publishers, other content creators and AI chat assistants, and whether Google treats publishers differently when choosing sources or licensing content.

Interim measures, decided Oct. 8

The board found that indications of “discriminatory and exploitative” conduct toward news publishers had reached the level of strong suspicion. According to the announcement, it ordered interim measures at its Oct. 8 meeting, under the fourth paragraph of Article 9 of the law. The decision was made public together with the investigation on Nov. 2. The measures cover how Google uses publishers’ content in the two services and how it sets the related contract terms.

Google’s terms must not discriminate between news publishers and must reflect the economic value of the content used. Publishers must also be able to decide whether their content is used in these services independently of their visibility and indexing in other Google services. In practice, a publisher’s visibility in regular search results cannot depend on whether it agrees to appear in AI summaries.

No fine, ruling at the end

Opening an investigation and imposing interim measures does not mean Google has broken the law; the board will rule on that when the investigation ends. The announcement sets no compliance deadline and mentions no fine. Reports by Anadolu Agency and Bloomberg HT include no statement from Google.

The board took a similar route with Meta in June. According to Milliyet’s June 5 report, it opened an investigation into Meta for blocking third-party AI chatbots from offering their services on WhatsApp, and imposed interim measures. The European Commission opened a similar probe on Dec. 9, 2025. It is examining whether Google uses publishers’ content for AI Overviews and AI Mode without appropriate compensation, and without a way to refuse that does not cost them visibility in Search. Google told Engadget that probe “risks stifling innovation in a market that is more competitive than ever.”