British regulatory agency introduces new regulations on Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOGL.US) searches aimed at promoting market competition.

The UK competition regulator has ordered Alphabet Inc. Class C (GOOGL.US) to provide greater transparency on its search ranking mechanism, as part of a series of new requirements aimed at securing "fairer treatment" for businesses and users, and improving the service quality of the American tech giant in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said in a statement on Wednesday that the new rules include two core requirements: first, Alphabet Inc. Class C must enhance the transparency and fairness of the search ranking process; and second, Alphabet Inc. Class C must allow users to transfer their search data to authorized third-party platforms. The regulator has previously expressed concerns about Alphabet Inc. Class C's dominant position in the search field, and has designated it as a "strategic market status" company, giving it the right to establish targeted rules to enhance market transparency. Will Hayter, CMA's Digital Markets Executive Director, said in a statement, "These new measures will ensure fair and objective search rankings, provide clearer information on changes, and establish effective channels for user complaints." The new rules build on the existing behavior requirements for Alphabet Inc. Class C announced by the regulator earlier this month, which already allowed publishers to prevent their content from being used for Alphabet Inc. Class C's AI training. CMA also said on Wednesday that it expects "further related actions to progress this summer."