The deadline for major tech platform companies to inform the European Union about their status as gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) has passed.
Seven companies, including Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, ByteDance (TikTok), Meta (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Microsoft, and Samsung, have officially been recognized to meet the criteria. These companies have a market capitalization exceeding €75 billion and own a social platform or app with at least 45 million monthly users or 10,000 active business users.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton has stated that the submissions will be reviewed, and specific platform services will be designated as gatekeepers by September 6th. Once designated, the companies will have six months to comply with the DMA’s regulations.
ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, disputed its inclusion on the list, while Booking.com expects to be included next year, according to Reuters.
The new rules outlined by Breton encompass the following points:
- Gatekeepers will no longer be able to lock users into their ecosystems.
- They will no longer have the authority to determine the preinstalled apps or app stores on users’ devices.
- Gatekeepers cannot give preferential treatment to their own products and services, a practice known as “self-preferencing.”
- Messaging apps must be interoperable with others.
Failure to comply with these rules could result in fines of up to 10 percent of the company’s global turnover, with repeat offenses facing fines of 20 percent. The European Commission may also conduct a market investigation and impose remedies if necessary.
