The European Commission announced on Monday that large, dominant companies may not meet their obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that came into force on March 7.
Six of the world's largest technology companies were then asked to follow the rules of the road that apply to so-called gatekeepers – companies that everyone must visit to use the internet and digital services. The six are Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Tiktok owner Bytedance, Meta, and Microsoft.
The goal of the DMA is to create fairer competitive conditions by giving users more and more free choices when entering the global digital market.
The Commission acknowledges that major companies have made some adjustments since March 7, but they have not gone far enough.
– We are not convinced that the solutions chosen by Alphabet, Apple and Meta provide a fairer and more open digital space for European users, both individuals and businesses, says EU Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton.
Under the new law, the Commission can impose fines of up to 10% of a company's global revenue, a level that can be increased to 20% in the case of repeated violations. For related technology companies, the fines can be astronomical.
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