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. Listen To Story
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.
Source: Breitbart