Türkiye opens Google AI Overviews probe, orders interim measures for news publishers

Direct answer: Türkiye’s competition regulator has temporarily ordered Google to let news publishers opt out of AI Overviews and AI Mode without affecting their visibility in Google Search, to report how their content is used, and to set content-deal terms by objective criteria [2]. It follows action on the same features by the European Commission and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) [3][4].

What happened: The authority said it opened the investigation under Article 41 of Act No. 4054 on the Protection of Competition [1]. A preliminary inquiry, opened by a Competition Board decision of Aug. 27, 2026, examined whether AI Overviews and AI Mode reduced traffic to news publishers and other content creators, whether Google’s content agreements with news publishers contain unfair terms, whether the features have exclusionary effects on publishers, content creators and AI chatbots, and whether Google treated publishers differently when selecting or licensing their content [1]. The authority said indications of exclusionary and exploitative conduct toward news publishers had reached “the level of strong suspicion” [1].

The board’s reasoned decision, No. 26-37/1000-423, is published in Turkish [2]. It says the case file covers a confidential application received on July 21, 2026, a supplementary application and issues the authority took up on its own initiative, and that the authority carried out an on-site inspection at Google’s Turkish subsidiary on Sept. 1, 2026 [2]. AI Overviews and AI Mode launched in Türkiye on Feb. 18, 2026, according to the decision [2]. The decision was unanimous [2].

What do the interim measures require?

The decision lists these obligations for Google’s use of news publishers’ content in AI Overviews and AI Mode (AVJ translation from Turkish) [2]:

• No discrimination. No discriminatory treatment of equivalent news publishers that is not based on objective, transparent and predetermined criteria when their content is used, summarized, synthesized or used as input for answers.
• Objective deal terms. Good-faith and effective negotiation with publishers that want a contract, with terms set by objective, verifiable and transparent criteria, including the scope and intensity of use, user interaction in AI Overviews and AI Mode, and the effect on publishers’ traffic, visibility and advertising revenue.
• No retaliation. No direct or indirect negative effect on a publisher’s ranking, visibility, indexing or traffic in Google Search, Google News or other Google services because it does not sign or accept a deal, and clear notice of this to publishers.
• Usage data. Verifiable data, at regular intervals, on how often a publisher’s content is used, the extent to which it is shown or used as a source in answers, the resulting user interaction and, as far as possible, the traffic sent to that content.
• Separate opt-out. Technical and commercial mechanisms so an opt-out from AI Overviews and AI Mode can be used independently of visibility and indexing in other Google services, with clear notice that opting out will not affect them.
• Existing and new contracts. No changes to signed contracts that work against publishers, and no different or additional terms for new or amended contracts that could distort competition compared with similarly placed publishers.
• Compliance reporting. Auditable compliance information submitted to the authority at regular intervals.

If Google does not meet the obligations within three months of notification of the reasoned decision, administrative fines under Article 17(1)(a) of the act apply from the end of that period [2]. Google can challenge the decision in the Ankara administrative courts within 60 days of notification [2]. The announcement does not say when the reasoned decision was notified to Google [1].

How does this compare with the EU and UK cases?

• European Union. The European Commission opened proceedings on Dec. 9, 2025 (case AT.40983) into Google’s use of publishers’ content for AI Overviews and AI Mode without a way to refuse that use without losing access to Google Search, and without appropriate compensation [3]. Opening proceedings is not a finding of infringement [3].
• United Kingdom. The CMA imposed a conduct requirement on June 3, 2026, that lets publishers opt out of their content being used to power AI features in Google search [4]. Google has until Dec. 3, 2026, to comply, with three more months for a page-level control [5].

Our view: the Turkish measures go further than an opt-out. They require deal terms to take account of the scope and intensity of use, user interaction, and effects on publishers’ traffic, visibility and advertising revenue, and require Google to give publishers verifiable data on that use [2]. The publisher controls we covered recently, Google’s crawling and AI controls and a shared AI training signal, came from the companies themselves. These measures are imposed by a regulator, and they also reach deal terms and usage data.

What we don’t know yet

• When the reasoned decision was notified to Google, and so when the three-month compliance period ends.
• How Google will implement the separate opt-out and the usage data in Türkiye, and whether either will be visible outside Türkiye. The authority’s announcement does not include a statement from Google [1].
• Whether Google will challenge the decision in court.
• How the investigation will treat content creators other than news publishers and AI chatbots, which the preliminary inquiry examined but the interim measures do not cover [1][2].

What to do now

1. If you publish news for readers in Türkiye, watch for Google’s information on a separate AI Overviews and AI Mode opt-out and for the usage data it must provide to publishers [2].
2. If you publish in the UK, prepare for Google’s Publisher Conduct Requirement controls, due by Dec. 3, 2026, with three more months allowed for a page-level control [5].
3. Keep a baseline of your traffic from Google Search and Google News as a reference point before any opt-out or content-deal decision.

Update log: Nov. 3, 2026 — First published.

Sources

[1] Turkish Competition Authority. (2026, Nov. 2). “Investigation Launched and Interim Measures Introduced on Google, concerning AI Overview and AI Mode Services.” Accessed Nov. 3, 2026. https://www.rekabet.gov.tr/en/Guncel/investigation-launched-and-interim-measu-ac0cedbc94d6f111a671005056854155

[2] Competition Board, Turkish Competition Authority. (2026, Oct. 8). Decision No. 26-37/1000-423 (reasoned interim measures decision, in Turkish; quotations and summaries are AVJ translations). Accessed Nov. 3, 2026. https://www.rekabet.gov.tr/Karar?kararId=ed320031-6b1c-4e8b-afe5-bc03a64a4059

[3] European Commission. (2025, Dec. 9). Initiation of proceedings, case AT.40983, Google AI & Data-related practices. Accessed Nov. 3, 2026. https://ec.europa.eu/competition/antitrust/cases1/202551/AT_40983_156.pdf

[4] Competition and Markets Authority. (2026, June 3). “CMA secures fairer deal for publishers and improves Google search services in UK.” GOV.UK. Accessed Nov. 3, 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-secures-fairer-deal-for-publishers-and-improves-google-search-services-in-uk

[5] Competition and Markets Authority. (2026, Aug. 4). “The publisher conduct requirement” (summary). GOV.UK. Accessed Nov. 3, 2026. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a7195d7aec8358a34958bfa/Publisher_CR_4_Aug_2026.pdf

How this was made

Prepared with AI assistance from the sources cited above. Editorial review by Nhi Phan (editor) and fact-checking by Jackies continue after publication; any change will be recorded in the update log and in our Corrections Policy and Log.