Competition Boss: EU Set to Hold Tech Giants Accountable with Digital Markets Act

The EU is ready to use all its tools to make big tech companies change how they act online. The competition boss of the EU talked about this right before a big new law starts. This new law, called the Digital Markets Act (DMA), begins on Thursday. It targets six major companies: Google's Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok's ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft. These companies will have to follow new rules, giving European users more options for web browsers and search engines on their devices.

The EU wants these big companies to change their behavior. The new law lets the EU give out bigger fines and even break up companies if needed. The competition commissioner said that not all companies might follow the rules from the start. The EU has been strict with tech companies since 2014, showing they mean business.

For example, the EU recently fined Apple for making it hard for users to find other music streaming options. The goal isn't to break up companies or fine them heavily but to get them to follow the rules. The DMA and other antitrust tools will help make sure companies play fair, giving users more choices.

A big area to watch is app stores. Apple said users could start using other app stores, but some developers find the changes too complicated. Apple, along with ByteDance and Meta, is challenging parts of the DMA in court.

The EU is also looking into deals between big tech firms and AI startups, like Microsoft's investment in a French AI company, Mistral AI. This is part of a bigger investigation into big digital companies working with AI developers.

The competition boss will leave her job after the June European elections. She doesn't know what she'll do next but wants to keep working on European projects. She thinks Europe is a great place with lots of work still to do.

Image: DIW-AIgen

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by Mahrukh Shahid via Digital Information World