In an era when technology evolves faster than our smartphones can update, industry giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Meta, and ByteDance have faced a new challenge. Over the past six months, they have been diligently preparing for the enforcement of the EU's main technology rules. According to Reuters, these rules have already come into effect, marking a new chapter in the history of online platforms and the behind-the-scenes work we could only guess about before.
The EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) stands ready to shake up decades of tranquil, albeit not uncriticized, growth in the tech industry. It is no wonder that users and competitors are paying very close attention to this event.
Despite all the preparations, at least two of the mentioned companies might find themselves under the regulators' close watch, who are ready to scrutinize every detail in the coming months. If companies fail to meet the act’s requirements, they will have to deal with investigations and fines of up to 10% of global turnover. It is a severe punishment.
Apple, for instance, is in a tricky situation. The company now has to open the doors to its secret garden. The fact is that its ecosystem was previously closed to outsiders. Software developers will have the opportunity to share their apps with EU residents, bypassing App Store restrictions.
In addition, EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager introduced a “core technology fee” of 50 euro cents per user account each year. Unsurprisingly, after a recent fine of 1.84 billion euros for playing games with Spotify, Apple decided to speak up and file an appeal.
Meanwhile, Google could also face strict supervision by regulators because of its reluctance to share online traffic with giants like Booking.com and Expedia.
