The European Commission has initiated five non-compliance investigations to examine whether Apple, Google, and Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta are adhering to the new Digital Markets Act (DMA) antitrust rules.
The Verge reports that the European Union’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, expressed concerns that the solutions proposed by the three tech giants may not fully comply with the DMA. “We will now investigate the companies’ compliance with the DMA, to ensure open and contestable digital markets in Europe,” Vestager stated.
Apple CEO Tim Cook looking down (Drew Angerer /Getty)
Google CEO Sundar Pichai looking down (NurPhoto / Contributor/Getty)
The investigations will focus on various aspects of the companies’ practices. For Google and Apple, the Commission plans to examine their anti-steering rules within their respective app stores and whether Google is engaging in self-preferencing its own services in its search engine. Apple’s browser choice screen for iOS will also be under scrutiny, along with Meta’s “pay or consent model” for ad targeting.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton emphasized the importance of compliance, stating, “We are not convinced that the solutions by Alphabet, Apple and Meta respect their obligations for a fairer and more open digital space for European citizens and businesses.” He added that if the investigation concludes that there is a lack of full compliance with the DMA, the gatekeepers could face substantial fines.
Under the DMA, the Commission has the authority to fine each company up to 10 percent of their annual global revenue for non-compliance, or even 20 percent in cases of repeated infringement. The investigations are expected to be concluded within the next 12 months, after which the Commission will inform each gatekeeper of the necessary measures to address concerns and the actions the regulator plans to take.
The announcement comes after criticism from various stakeholders regarding the companies’ compliance with the DMA. Spotify called Apple’s compliance “a complete and total farce,” while Epic CEO Tim Sweeney referred to the changes as “a new instance of Malicious Compliance.” Meta’s “pay or consent model” has also been the subject of complaints from EU watchdogs.
In response to the investigations, representatives from Apple, Meta, Google, and Amazon have defended their approaches to complying with the DMA and expressed their commitment to working with the Commission to address any concerns.
Read more at the Verge here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
