It has come to my attention that Android is required to have a Search Choice screen in both Android and Chrome in accordance with the Digital Markets Act in the EU:
I’m not in the EU. The full list of countries with this Search Choices screen is here: DMA Search Choice Screen Options
It would be cool if Mojeek appeared on this screen; it’s not there yet. There are 10 requirements for a search engine to be eligible, and Mojeek satisfies all of them except perhaps this one:
The search app must have a minimum of 5,000 user installs.
I don’t know if this is for the EU as a whole, individual EU countries, or just in general. I installed the Mojeek app from Google Play anyway.
Further:
After the initial period, an updated choice screen displaying the top 8 ranked search engines, ordered randomly, will start appearing on new devices distributed in the EEA on or after August 7, 2024.
This is kind of sad, really. They only show search engines that are already popular. I’d never heard of PrivacyWall until now; they seem new.
I thought this was an interesting eligibility requirement:
No connection to non-EEA state actors:
Search providers must not be directly or indirectly under the operation or control of non-EEA state actors.
I guess that’s why we’re not seeing Yandex or Baidu on the list.
Either way, it’s good to see something like this being enforced by the EU! It’d be nice if the rest of the world felt the same way.