Alex Omenye
The European Union has singled out 22 “gatekeeper” services run by six of the largest digital corporations in the world to be subject to new Digital Services Act regulations.
Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and ByteDance services will all be covered by the comprehensive Digital Markets Act.
The DMA was created to level the playing field between Big Tech businesses and smaller rivals. It is frequently seen as an extension of the Digital Services Act, which places greater responsibility on tech corporations for the content posted on their websites.
The DMA, which aims to increase access and service compatibility in Europe and presents an unprecedented threat to these corporations’ business models, has given the internet giants six months to comply with its requirements.
Companies that have a market value of $75 billion euros ($82 billion) and more than 45 million monthly active users are regarded as gatekeepers offering a fundamental platform function under the DMA.
Companies identified as such will have to allow consumers to choose which messaging apps to pre-install on their smartphones and make their apps work with competitors.
Most services were offered by Alphabet’s Google, which also offered the Android operating system, Maps, and Search, all of which would be subject to stricter regulations.
Gatekeepers included Meta’s Facebook, Instagram, Marketplace, and WhatsApp.
Infractions of the DMA can result in fines of up to 10% of the violating company’s annual global turnover.
