AFP) The European Commission, the executive body of the EU, announced this Monday that it has opened non-compliance investigations into Apple, Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook, Instagram), for allegedly violating its competition rules.
In a statement, the Commission conveyed its suspicion that the three giants have not adopted the necessary measures to effectively adapt to the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), which regulates the operations of these platforms.
Today, we've opened five non-compliance investigations under the Digital Markets Act.
It concerns:
🔹Alphabet’s rules on steering in Google Play
🔹Alphabet’s self-preferencing on Google Search
🔹Apple’s rules on steering in the App Store
🔹Apple's choice screen for Safari… pic.twitter.com/kiZ7sLQa8B— European Commission (@EU_Commission) March 25, 2024
Since March 7, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Bytedance (TikTok), Meta and Microsoft have been considered "gatekeepers." The DMA requires these companies to adopt special measures to adapt to the new criteria.
However, the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, said on Monday, "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."
The #DMA has been in place for 18 days and we’ve witnessed more change from Big Tech than in the past 10 years.
But we want to make sure everything is done by the book 🇪🇺
Opening cases today against:
🔹Alphabet
🔹Apple
🔹Metahttps://t.co/qJ1QJO0zwO pic.twitter.com/dEfnyACJ0V— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) March 25, 2024
Under the DMA rules, the Commission can impose heavy fines on platforms that do not comply with the law. Companies can be sanctioned up to 10% of global profits. This increases to 20% in cases of proven recidivism.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association criticizes the EU's decision
The core lobbyists for these companies, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA), immediately criticized the EU for launching these investigations.
Announcing the investigations "just days after the compliance deadline throws a wrench into the idea of companies and the European Commission working together to implement the DMA successfully," said Daniel Friedlaender, CCIA's head for Europe.
The announcement "sends a worrying signal that the EU might rush into investigations without knowing what it is investigating," he added.
