Turkey opens Google AI Overviews probe and orders publisher terms

Turkey opens Google AI Overviews probe and orders publisher terms

2 November 2026: Turkey's Competition Authority has opened a full investigation into whether Google abused a dominant position through AI Overviews and AI Mode in Google Search, and its Competition Board has already imposed interim measures on how Google uses news publishers' content in both features. Until the case is decided, Google has to offer publishers terms that do not discriminate between them, reflect the economic value of their content, and let them choose how that content is used in the AI services without it affecting how they are indexed and shown elsewhere in Google.

Not yet independently verified. The account comes from the Authority's English announcement; we have not read the Board decisions themselves. The announcement gives no deadline for Google to comply, no length for the investigation and no possible fine. We will update this when it can be confirmed, and remove this note.

Five Google companies under Article 6

The investigation runs under Article 41 of Act no 4054 on the Protection of Competition, and the question is whether Google breached Article 6, the abuse of dominance provision. The Authority treats five companies as one economic unit: Alphabet Inc., Google Ireland Limited, Google LLC, Google International LLC and the Turkish arm, Google Reklamcılık ve Pazarlama Ltd. Şti.

It follows a preliminary inquiry the Board opened on 27 August 2026 (decision 26-31/932-M). That inquiry looked at four things:

• how AI Overviews and AI Mode changed the way people reach information, and whether that cut the traffic going to news publishers and other content creators;
• whether the terms in Google's agreements with news publishers on the use of their content are unfair;
• whether the two features had exclusionary effects on news publishers, other content creators and AI chatbots;
• whether Google treated publishers differently when choosing or licensing their content as a source for the features.

The third point is the widest. By naming AI chatbots alongside publishers, the Authority is looking at whether answers built into search shut out rival AI assistants, not only whether they take readers from news sites.

Interim measures before any finding

The Board did not wait for the investigation to finish. At its meeting of 8 October 2026 it took decision 26-37/1000-423 under Article 9.4 of the Act, saying the signs of exclusionary and exploitative conduct towards news publishers had reached the level of "strong suspicion". The measures concern both Google's use of publishers' content in AI Overviews and AI Mode and the contract terms that govern it.

The most practical part for a publisher is the separation of choices. Today a site that wants to keep its pages out of AI answers can find that the same controls affect its normal search listing. The Turkish order requires Google to let publishers set their options for the AI services independently of their visibility and indexing in Google's other services. The order was announced on 2 November, about three weeks after the Board meeting.

What publishers and agencies in Turkey can do now

A Turkish news publisher with a content agreement with Google now has a regulator's statement that the terms must reflect the economic value of the content it supplies, which is a firmer footing for any renegotiation. Publishers that have seen referral traffic from Google fall since AI Overviews arrived in Turkey are the parties the inquiry describes, and the Authority's findings on traffic are still to come.

For search and content agencies working for Turkish sites, the order points to a separate opt-out for AI features. Google has not published how it will implement the measures in Turkey, and the announcement gives no deadline, so the next thing to watch is Google's own notice to publishers on the new options.

Related on TrustList:

• CMA opens abuse-of-dominance case over Meta's terms for publisher content
• Kuwait issues a new Media Regulation Law replacing its electronic media law: in force in six months

Sources

• Rekabet Kurumu (Turkish Competition Authority): Investigation Launched and Interim Measures Introduced on Google, concerning AI Overview and AI Mode Services, 2 November 2026