EU Introduces Strict Rules on Big Tech Companies to Promote Competition and Protect Users

Big tech companies, including Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook, could soon face new wide-reaching regulations in the European Union, under new legislation presented today by the European Commission (via CNBC).

european parliament

Amid concern for smaller European companies looking to compete in the European market, the European Commission today presented two new pieces of legislation that aim to strictly regulate how big tech companies operate in the EU.

The Digital Markets Act, which has been planned for some time, includes the prohibition of self-preferencing. This means that App Store search results, for example, cannot preference apps made by Apple itself over third-party apps. Moreover, companies will be obliged to allow users to uninstall all pre-installed apps. Performance metrics will also have to be shared for free with advertisers and publishers.

Apple has already gone some way to meeting the rules set out in the Digital Markets Act. For example, as of iOS 10, Apple has allowed users to uninstall default apps. Likewise, last year, Apple adjusted its App Store search algorithm so that fewer of its own apps appear at the top of search results. Nevertheless, Apple will be equally obligated to meet the demands of the legislation, including sharing its internal metrics, if and when it comes into law.

Failure to comply with the rules may result in hefty fines, as high as ten percent of the company's worldwide annual turnover. It is hoped that the regulation will result in long-term, meaningful changes, rather than just repeatedly fining rule breaches.

Another measure to punish big tech companies is forced disinvestment. Systematic rule breaches could result in the demand that companies sell parts of their business "if no other remedy is available."

On the other hand, the Digital Services Act is designed to tackle illegal and harmful content by obliging platforms to rapidly remove it. Large fines also follow breaches in this area. The EU's competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, said that the two proposals would serve a dual purpose:

To make sure that we, as users, have access to a wide choice of safe products and services online. And that businesses operating in Europe can freely and fairly compete online just as they do offline.

Although the two pieces of legislation must be approved by European governments, there are reportedly indications that they could come into force faster than usual. Other governments around the world have also announced tougher regulations on big tech, such as the UK government, which has also announced a fine of ten percent of global turnover unless platforms fail to remove illegal content quickly.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Top Rated Comments

R3k Avatar
30 months ago

Permitting to uninstall TV, Stocks, Health, Home and other specialized apps for a niche target is not enough, they should not be installed in the first place. They should be like any other app, and have a presence at the app store.

Bundling is bloat.
Many people won't even realize the apps exist if they're not bundled with the. Im glad I know about the health app, I wouldn't have gone looking for it on the App Store.

I think fair enough for Apple to say "You bought our hardware, here are our apps that go with it. This is the user experience we want you to have access too"
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ruka.snow Avatar
30 months ago
Great to see this regulation has some teeth behind it. GDPR while being a pain in the butt to get right as a business sometimes, has, on a whole been fantastic in cutting down the amount of data companies hold. Everything from having your data removed from some online shop you bought from 10 years ago, to forcing political parties remove your details from their database so they can stop sending bloody letters campaigning for or against irrelevant issues.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rojaaemon Avatar
30 months ago

Permitting to uninstall TV, Stocks, Health, Home and other specialized apps for a niche target is not enough, they should not be installed in the first place. They should be like any other app, and have a presence at the app store.

Bundling is bloat.
OK, if you don’t mind having to help your parents install some basic apps on their new smartphone.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeoStructural Avatar
30 months ago

Is this a joke?
No. It is to ensure they follow the law and not just keep paying little fines or lengthy legal battles.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
30 months ago
EU slowly but surely destroying everything good in technology.

Privacy pop-ups (that people accept without even reading) at every webpage load. The web was a so much better experience before.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applicious84 Avatar
30 months ago
.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro Buttons CAD Leak

iPhone 15 Pro Low-Energy Chip to Allow Solid-State Buttons to Work When Device is Off or Out of Battery

Wednesday March 29, 2023 1:54 am PDT by
The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will use a new ultra-low energy microprocessor allowing certain features like the new capacitive solid-state buttons to remain functional even when the handset is powered off or the battery has run out, according to a source that shared details on the MacRumors forums. CAD-based render of new solid-state buttons on iPhone 15 Pro models The source of this rumor is ...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2023 Event Taking Place June 5 to 9

Wednesday March 29, 2023 9:58 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 34th annual Worldwide Developers Conference will take place from Monday, June 5 to Friday, June 9. Like WWDC 2020, 2021, and 2022, WWDC 2023 will be an online event for the most part, and it will be open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will provide online sessions and labs, which will allow...
iPhone 15 Pro Multi Purpose button Mute Switch Feature Green 2

iPhone 15 Pro Rumored to Feature Multi-Use Action Button Instead of Mute Switch

Wednesday March 29, 2023 7:28 am PDT by
iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models are rumored to feature a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra, according to a MacRumors forum member who leaked accurate details about the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro models last year. The source claimed the Action button will replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. They did not...
iOS 16

Apple Releases iOS 16.4 With New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and More

Monday March 27, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 16.4, the fourth major update to the iOS 16 operating system that initially came out last September. iOS 16.4 comes two months after the launch of iOS 16.3, an update that added Security Keys for Apple ID. iOS 16‌.4 and iPadOS 16.4 can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes...
Apple Music Classical

Apple Explains Why It Launched an iPhone App Dedicated to Classical Music

Monday March 27, 2023 8:54 pm PDT by
Apple today published a support document explaining why it decided to release a standalone Apple Music Classical app for classical music. In short, Apple says the app was designed to support classical music's complex metadata:Classical music is different. It has longer and more detailed titles, multiple artists for each work, and hundreds of recordings of well-known pieces. The Apple Music...
iOS 16

Apple Seeds First Betas of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5

Tuesday March 28, 2023 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a day after the launch of iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4. Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an...
home upgrade available feature

PSA: Apple Has Made Its New Home Architecture Update Available Again

Tuesday March 28, 2023 1:50 am PDT by
Apple has made the option to upgrade to new Home architecture available again with the release of iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3, after it temporarily pulled the update in December. After updating Apple devices to the latest software, users can once again opt to upgrade any homes set up in the Home app to the new Home architecture, which Apple says brings faster, more reliable ...