A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The SEARCH Act of 2026 aims to restore competition within online search and digital advertising markets. It establishes strict prohibitions against exclusionary conduct and self-preferencing by large "covered platforms." The bill requires these platforms to share data and search results with qualified competitors at marginal cost. Additionally, it mandates the use of choice screens to allow users to select their preferred search engines. The Act also introduces strict transparency requirements for advertisers and heavy penalties for non-compliance.
Yes· 3 of 10
- Scored +8
Does this put more rules on large technology companies?
The bill imposes strict new obligations and prohibitions on large digital platforms to curb their market power.
- Scored +5
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?
The act enhances consumer choice through mandatory choice screens and easier switching of search defaults.
- Scored +5
Would business owners be better off under this?
Smaller digital businesses and advertisers gain more transparent and accessible market conditions.
The opposite
- Scored -7
Would billionaires be better off under this?
The bill specifically targets and imposes heavy penalties on the largest, most successful digital platforms.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Competition for Users: By prohibiting preferential treatment, payments for default status, and exclusive agreements, the bill seeks to prevent covered platforms from inhibiting competitors (Section 3).
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Enhanced User Choice: The mandate for "choice screens" ensures that users can select their preferred search engine from a neutral list during device setup or browser installation (Section 8).
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Easier Switching of Services: The bill requires platforms to provide permanent and easily accessible settings for users to switch their default search engines (Section 8).
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Improved Data Access for Competitors: Qualified competitors will receive non-discriminatory access to search indexes, ranking signals, user-side data, and advertising data (Section 5).
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Greater Transparency for Advertisers: Advertisers will gain access to query-level reports regarding cost-per-click and keyword triggers, and will be able to export campaign data in real time (Section 7).
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Protection of Content Creators: The bill prohibits covered platforms from conditioning a publisher's ranking on the consent to use their content for separate services like training generative AI (Section 5).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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High Financial Penalties for Corporations: Covered platforms found in violation of the Act could face civil penalties of up to 15 percent of their annual United States revenue (Section 9).
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Financial Burdens on Employees: Employees required to undergo specific antitrust training who fail to do so can be held personally liable for civil penalties of up to 10 percent of their total annual compensation (Section 9).
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Potential Costs for User Education: Covered platforms may be required to contribute to a public education fund, with amounts up to 0.05 percent of their annual United States revenue (Section 8).
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Mandatory Costs for Data and Search Sharing: Covered platforms must license search results, ranking signals, and advertising inventory to competitors at "marginal cost" (Section 5 & Section 6).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices? — The act enhances consumer choice through mandatory choice screens and easier switching of search defaults. Does this make it easier to run a small business? — The bill helps smaller competitors gain access to essential data and search markets previously dominated by large platforms. Is this likely to grow the economy? — Increased market competition in the digital advertising and search sectors can drive economic dynamism. Is this likely to create jobs? — By lowering barriers to entry for competitors, the act may foster new opportunities for job growth in the digital sector.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more rules on large technology companies? — The bill imposes strict new obligations and prohibitions on large digital platforms to curb their market power.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill requires platforms to provide more detailed and transparent reporting regarding search ads and user choice. Does this protect people from being watched or searched? — The bill includes mandatory de-identification of data sharing to protect individual user privacy.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — Smaller digital businesses and advertisers gain more transparent and accessible market conditions. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Increased competition may eventually lead to better digital services and pricing for all consumers. Would middle-income households be better off under this? — Enhanced consumer choice and competition can benefit the broader consumer market. Would billionaires be better off under this? — The bill specifically targets and imposes heavy penalties on the largest, most successful digital platforms.
- 7/15/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Eric SchmittRepublican · Missouri