TECH - EU's Challenges Big Tech: Google Search WhatsApp TikTok And 19 Others Face DMA Scrutiny | Benzinga
Major tech giants, predominantly American, have been identified by the European Commission as “gatekeepers” to be regulated under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA).
What Happened: The European Commission declared on Tuesday that tech mammoths such as Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:FB), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and China’s ByteDance Ltd. are to be monitored under the DMA. They have until March 2024 to comply with the new regulations.
The DMA is designed to limit the market dominance of these tech companies. It requires them to compete based on the merits of their products and services. Major messaging apps will need to ensure their platforms are interoperable with competitors, and operating systems must support third-party app stores and alternate in-app payment options.
Microsoft’s Bing search engine, Edge browser, and advertising service are not on the list but are under investigation to see if they meet the criteria for regulation. Apple's iMessage service and iPadOS are also under scrutiny.