EU targets Apple, Amazon, Meta and other Big Tech in next phase of digital crackdown
The European Union is targeting six Big Tech companies including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft under new digital rules aimed at reining in the market power of online companies
LONDON — Six Big Tech companies including Amazon, Apple and Microsoft faced fresh pressure Wednesday from the European Union, which moved to counter their digital dominance with far-reaching rules aimed at giving users more choices and making competition fairer.
Google parent Alphabet, Facebook owner Meta and TikTok parent ByteDance also were classified as online “gatekeepers” subject to the strictest requirements of the 27-nation EU's Digital Markets Act. The list of do’s and don’ts seeks to prevent tech giants from cornering digital markets, with the threat of whopping fines or even forcing companies to sell of parts of their business to operate in Europe.
That means European users of Big Tech social media or chat services could soon be able to send messages to rival platforms, avoid having their data used to show personalized ads and choose which search engine or browser they prefer rather than being stuck with a default version.
It’s part of a sweeping update to the EU’s digital rulebook taking force this year and comes weeks after a companion package of rules aimed at keeping internet users safe, the Digital Services Act, started kicking in.
«The most impactful online companies will now have to play by our EU rules,» European Commissioner Thierry Breton, who's in charge of the bloc's digital policy, said on X, previously known as Twitter. “DMA means more choice for consumers. Fewer obstacles for smaller competitors. Opening the gates to the Internet.”
The European Commission, the EU’s executive body, said digital platforms can be listed as
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