The EU consumes the siege of Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon

Brussels, 25 Mar The European Union's siege to Google, Apple, Meta and Amazon was consummated this week with the first of two laws with which Brussels wants to break the big tech business model. After noting that the rules of free competition existing so far have not prevented the abuse of power of platforms, in just over a year since the European Commission presented the proposal, the EU has approved the new antitrust law for internet giants. So far, Brussels has opened four cases against Google, as many against Amazon, three against Apple and one against Meta. “What we have learned over the years is that we can correct in specific cases, we can sanction illegal behavior, but when things become systematic, then we also need regulation,” said the Vice President of the Community Executive for the Digital Age, Margrethe Vestager, at the press conference following the agreement reached last night. The European institutions agreed on a directive that regulates mobile application stores, internet searches, restricts the use that internet giants make of personal data and modifies the rules of personalized advertising, the main business of platforms. When the regulations come into force next year, users will have to be able to remove mobile applications that a company has installed by default on mobile devices, for example the Google Chrome browser on Android OS phones. They will also need to have the option of installing a mobile app store other than the one offered by the device brand, so that, for example, Android users can purchase the Apple App Store and vice versa. Internet giants will also not be able to favor their own products in search services and will be obliged to allow users to purchase goods directly from other companies' websites. The regulations prohibit companies from combining the personal data they acquire from users through their multiple services (that Meta crosses the information it obtains from its WhatsApp messaging service), unless they have the express consent of customers. With regard to personalised advertising, users will also have to give their consent to how companies collect and cross-reference their personal data. However, the Euro-Chamber has not succeeded in bringing forward the ban on personalised ads to minors, a measure that could be included in the law on digital services, the second of the laws with which Brussels pursues technology, about to be agreed and which requires transparency in the operation of algorithms According to the policy, messaging services on large platforms will have to be compatible with smaller platforms. Obligations that companies with a market value of at least 75 billion euros will have to fulfil and if they fail to comply, the European Commission may impose fines of up to 20% of their annual turnover and even fragment the company, if they violate the rule three times in eight years. The standard “will have a significant impact,” Google said in a statement, which said they “support many of the directive's ambitions” “around consumer choice and interoperability,” but noted that “some of the rules” may reduce innovation and choice available to Europeans. “This is a great moment for consumers and companies that have suffered from the harmful practices of big tech companies,” said Deputy Director-General of the European Consumers Association (BEUC), Ursula Pachl. CHIEF drs/cat/ads (More information about the European Union at euroefe.euractiv.es)