Digital Markets Act

If 2024 already looks like an annus horribilis for big tech in the EU, the months ahead could prove a winter of discontent as the bloc wields a fortified new legal armoury to bring online titans to heel.

Since August 2023, the world's largest digital platforms have faced the toughest tech regulations in the European Union, with enforcement showing no signs of slowing.

European regulators have launched a series of probes into Big Tech. In the latest move, the European Commission asked Amazon for more information on its compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires Big Tech players to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content on their platforms.

Apple risks billions of euros in fines after the European Union on Monday accused the iPhone maker of violating the bloc's landmark digital rules by hindering competition on its App Store.

The European Commission informed Apple in a "preliminary view" that the "App Store rules... prevent app developers from freely steering consumers to alternative channels for offers and content".

The EU's landmark curbs on how tech titans do business online kick in from Thursday, but just how far Brussels succeeds in bringing the giants to heel will hinge on bitter battles that still lie ahead.

The European Union yesterday unveiled a list of digital giants, including Apple, Facebook owner Meta and TikTok parent ByteDance, that will face tough new curbs on how they do business, but the move could trigger a wave of legal battles.

And while few can ignore all the benefits that technology has brought the world, its monetization and domination by a handful of incomprehensibly large companies has also led to an internet rampant with manipulation, horrific abuse, and pervasive tracking.

Brussels – The Covid-19 pandemic having accelerated the digital transformation, one of the pillars of the recovery of Europe’s economies, digital services and artificial intelligence (AI) have become major priorities for the bloc. Slovenia’s EU presidency hopes to achieve progress on these dossiers.