Deceptive Patterns
‹ All enforcement EU

Bundeskartellamt's Administrative Proceeding against Google

Jurisdiction
EU
Authority
Federal Cartel Office (Bundeskartellamt)
Date
5 Oct 2023
Case number
These are the four references assigned when the Commission opened the formal proceedings. The Commission’s public announcement of the May 2026 non-compliance decision does not give a separate decision number for the illegal-products strand.
Outcome
Changes made to consent choices interface

Case summary

Our analysis

Outcome

The Bundeskartellamt ruled that Google must enable users to provide free, specific, informed, and unambiguous consent for cross-service data processing. Google is required to offer transparent choice options for data combinations, ensuring that selection dialogues are not manipulative and avoiding the use of dark patterns.

Parties

The operative designation covers Microsoft Corporation and all companies affiliated with it within the meaning of § 36(2) GWB.

View the decision

Related deceptive patterns

Forced action ›The user wants to do something, but they are required to do something else undesirable in return.Preselection ›The user is presented with a default option that has already been selected for them, in order to influence their decision-making.

Related rules

German Competition Act - Section 19a(2) ›Empowers the Bundeskartellamt to designate influential undertakings vital for competition across markets, enforcing regulations to prevent unfair practices and periodically reviewing its impact.