Tough times lie ahead for the tech giants. The European Commission (EC) has launched an investigation into Alphabet (owner of Google), Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram) and Apple. This is the first process under the Digital Markets Act, which came into force on March 7. According to the Financial Times, “the investigation aims to combat the dominance of so-called ‘digital gatekeepers’ who control the market by eliminating competition.” In this case, the EC wants to “check whether Apple and Alphabet are giving undue preference to their own app stores and whether Meta is using users’ personal data for advertising purposes.”
“We have decided to investigate these suspicions of non-compliance [com a lei]. And when we discover other problems, we will face them too,” assured Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition. Thierry Breton, Europe’s commissioner for the internal market, said he was “not convinced that the decisions from Alphabet, Apple and Meta live up to their obligations.” for a fairer and more open digital space for European citizens and companies.”
In addition to these EU investigations, which are due to be completed within a year, the internet giants are also under scrutiny in the US. The Justice Department accuses Apple, considered the world’s most powerful brand and valued at around 480 billion euros, and Google of anti-competitive practices. The first involves using illegal means to prevent consumers from trading in their iPhone for competing devices.
Author: Sonia Diaz
Source: CM Jornal
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