French search engine Qwant has filed a formal request with France’s antitrust authority, calling for interim measures against U.S. tech giant Microsoft amid growing concerns over the impact of Microsoft’s Bing platform on its search result quality.
According to individuals with direct knowledge of the matter, Qwant alleges that Microsoft has been manipulating or downgrading the quality of its Bing search data provided to Qwant, thereby affecting the French company’s competitiveness. Qwant has historically relied on Bing’s infrastructure to deliver search results, a dependency that has now become a source of contention.
The complaint underscores a wider concern in Europe regarding digital sovereignty and fair competition in the tech sector. Qwant, which markets itself as a privacy-focused alternative to Google, argues that Microsoft’s actions are anticompetitive and threaten to undermine the development of homegrown digital platforms in the European Union.
By seeking interim action, Qwant is urging the French Competition Authority to impose immediate restrictions or corrective measures on Microsoft while a broader investigation into the allegations is carried out. These provisional steps could include ordering Microsoft to restore previous levels of service quality or to provide more transparent data-sharing mechanisms.
Qwant’s appeal comes amid intensifying scrutiny of Big Tech in Europe. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into force earlier this year, seeks to regulate large online platforms that act as “gatekeepers.” Microsoft, already under the spotlight for its growing integration of AI technologies and cloud dominance, could now face additional pressure under these regulations.
In a statement, Microsoft did not directly comment on Qwant’s complaint but reiterated its commitment to supporting the European tech ecosystem and complying with applicable competition laws.
The French Competition Authority has yet to respond publicly but is expected to review Qwant’s request for interim measures promptly.
This case could set a precedent for how regulators across Europe handle disputes involving dependency on large tech platforms, especially as regional tech players push for more independence and equitable partnerships.
