The European Commission (EC) is launching comprehensive investigations into Apple, Google, Amazon, and Meta for potential breaches of the EU's new Digital Markets Act (DMA).
This legislation is designed to ensure fair competition and prevent tech giants from monopolizing the market.
Over the next year, the EC will scrutinize whether these companies adhere to DMA regulations. the EC will examine the tech giants' compliance with the DMA rules. After the investigation is completed, the Commission will inform each of the companies about the necessary actions to resolve issues and the measures it plans to take.
The commission aims to investigate whether Google favors its services in its search engine, Apple's fee structure for app distribution outside the App Store, Amazon's preference for its products, and Meta's "pay or consent" policy, which offers users a choice between paying for services or providing data for advertising.
"We suspect that the suggested solutions put forward by the three companies do not fully comply with the DMA. We will now investigate the companies’ compliance with the DMA, to ensure open and contestable digital markets in Europe," said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy.
If any company is found non-compliant with the DMA, the European Commission could fine each up to 10% of its annual global revenue, and up to 20% for repeated violations.
Margrethe Vestager, head of the EU's antimonopoly committee, has warned that the EC will take a closer look at Apple's compliance with the regulation.
