Eu Targets Big Tech With Antitrust Probes Under Digital Markets Act
The European Commission has launched antitrust investigations into tech giants Alphabet, Apple, and Meta, scrutinizing their compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
This legislation aims to ensure fair competition and equal access within digital platforms’ ecosystems. The inquiries align with ongoing U.S. legal actions against Google and Apple for similar antitrust issues, highlighting a global regulatory focus on the market power of major technology companies.
The Commission’s probes into Alphabet and Apple will examine the companies’ app store practices, particularly the rules that limit developers to distributing apps exclusively through the official app stores. Further scrutiny will assess Google’s search result prioritization for its own services, Apple’s user flexibility in app removal, default setting adjustments, and the selection of alternative browsers or search engines.
Additionally, the Commission is investigating Meta’s advertising model in Europe, which mandates payment from users opting out of personalized ads, and is taking preliminary steps to evaluate Amazon’s promotion of its own brands and Apple’s compliance with DMA regarding new fees for alternative app stores.
These investigations, set to conclude in a year, could lead to significant penalties for the involved companies, potentially reaching up to 10% of their global turnover.
This marks a pivotal moment in the EU’s efforts to regulate the digital market, ensuring a competitive landscape that fosters innovation and protects consumer choices.
