Regardless of the phone you have, there is likelysoftwareon it that you have been unable to remove. Some apps may be critical to the operation of the device, while others might be what the manufacturer prefers you to use for tasks like messaging. Now, the European Commission (EC) is holding tech companies accountable for pushing their products and services on mobile devices. Under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA), some of the world’s largest tech giants — including Alphabet — will have six months to comply with regulations designed to maintain competition.
TheECdefined Alphabet, Meta, ByteDance, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft as “gatekeepers” in its announcement. According to the DMA, this means that they provide a gateway between companies and consumers when it comes to core platform services. For example, Alphabet encourages users of its devices to leverage Google Maps — a core platform service that it owns — for navigation purposes. However, the European Union (EU) has taken issue with this practice, fearing that this type of preferential treatment is diminishing competition within the market.
Now, the six gatekeepers have to comply with the DMA or face a penalty. Specifically, the EC can fine companies up to 10% of their total global turnover, but this can increase to 20% if issues are not remedied.
Some of the regulations that the tech companies must meet include allowing device owners toremove preloaded appsand use alternative payment systems. For instance, you might have a preferred app that you turn to for weather updates. However, you may default back to the manufacturer’s preinstalled weather app because it’s front-and-center — or seemingly impossible to delete from the device. Now, you’ll be able to remove the software you don’t want to use or see. Additionally, you won’t be limited to using a preloaded digital wallet, such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet.
Other stipulations include a ban on building consumer behavior profiles for advertisers and allowing competitors to promote their services. The development of the DMA regulations comes on the heels of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which went into effect in August. The act required global tech companies, such as Alphabet and Apple, to offer consumers more transparency into how they moderate content.
Last month,Google confirmed that it would comply with the regulationsand expand its Ads Transparency Center, which details its repository of advertisers. More information will also be shared by the company to explain how targeted ads are delivered in the EU.
