UK Seemingly Abandons Plans to Regulate Apple and Other Big Tech Companies

The UK is set to abandon plans to heavily regulate Apple and other big tech companies using a new competition authority, the Financial Times reports.

app store blue banner uk fixed
In a paywalled report, the Financial Times claims that the British government's new legislative agenda, due to be set out in the Queen's Speech next week, will not include a bill to empower the Digital Markets Unit (DMU). The government announced plans to set up the DMU in 2020, stating that it would grant powers to the body to create a code of conduct that big tech companies have to abide by in the UK or face fines of up to 10 percent of annual turnover. An interim report published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) earlier this year was intended to focus the DMU's attention, and it was met with an aggressive response from Apple.

While the DMU currently exists with around 60 members of staff, it has no powers beyond the CMA's existing capabilities. The DMU is currently working on a number of investigations, including into the terms of Apple's App Store and Apple and Google's "duopoly" over mobile ecosystems.

Julian Knight, Conservative chair of the House of Commons' Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, said if legislation to empower the tech regulator was not included in the Queen's Speech, it would "damage the credibility of the whole enterprise... It would be a hammer blow to the capability of the UK to regulate these sectors."

The government's decision to step back from further regulating big tech is reportedly due to the decision to drop corporate reforms and Prime Minister Boris Johnson's desire to step away from state intervention in the economy.

A statement from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport to the Financial Times suggested that powers to "change the conduct of the most powerful tech firms and protect businesses and consumers" are still on the way, but it "could not comment on timelines for potential future legislation."

Apple's ecosystem is increasingly coming under intense scrutiny by governments around the world, including in the United States, Japan, South Korea, the European Union, and more, with a clear appetite from global regulators to explore requirements around app store policies, app sideloading, and interoperability.

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.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Max Battery Capacity Leaked

Thursday July 3, 2025 5:40 am PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh: iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's Upcoming Macs Listed in New Report

Thursday July 3, 2025 9:09 am PDT by
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so. The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro. Apple is...

Top Rated Comments

markfc Avatar
42 months ago
A brexit benefit at last!
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ducknalddon Avatar
42 months ago

A brexit benefit at last!
Only for Apple.

One of the criticisms of Brexit was a weakening of consumer protections. This and other decisions indicate that cricisim was correct.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SD449 Avatar
42 months ago
Maybe Apple threatened to activate and use the CSAM system to scan Parliaments devices for Tractors…
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
6787872 Avatar
42 months ago
hopefully the EU will strike down apple
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KPOM Avatar
42 months ago
Maybe Boris Johnson will start taking advantage of Brexit to make the UK more attractive to outside investment.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
siddavis Avatar
42 months ago

Here's to all the Dreamers out there that still think they have a say in their respective governing bodies.

"He who has the Gold Makes the Rules."

The assimilation continues........ ;)
Here's to all the people who think they need a centralized power to make all their decisions for them.

The assimilation continues........ ;)
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)