New Delhi, March 26: The European Union's antitrust regulators have initiated a thorough investigation on the Digital Markets Act into some of the world's biggest technology firms. The European Union is investigating Apple, Google and Meta for possible non-compliance with the DMA. This inquiry by the European Union could result in large penalties if these tech giants fail to comply with the rules. In order to ascertain whether their operations comply with the Digital Markets Act, Apple, Google as well as Meta are under close watch from EU and even Amazon has been included.

As per a report of ABP Live, EU antitrust regulators announced that they will begin investigations into the activities of Apple, Google and Meta Platforms for possible violations of the Digital Markets Act. As part of this investigation, authorities will be conducting inquiries into several areas including; app store policies, search engine preferences and any data usage models made by them. Since the DMA took effect on March 7, the EU wants to ensure that there is equal competition and to provide users with a range of alternatives. Google Rolls Out ‘AI Overviews’ in Its Search Interface To See How GenAI Powered Overview Would Help General Population: Report.

EU Chief Thierry Breton on DMA enforcement says "The law is the law. We can't just sit around and wait". The European Commission has outlined specific areas of concern for each company. Google's Play Store policies and self-preferencing in search results are under review, while Apple's App Store rules and Safari browser preference will be examined. Meta's "pay or consent model" for user data handling is also under scrutiny, alongside Amazon's product ranking practices on its marketplace. Elon Musk Provides Update on ‘Everything App’ X, Says ‘The Circle Will Be Complete’.

As per a report of English Jagran, these investigations are expected to conclude within a 12-month period, during which the companies may face fines up to 10 per cent of their global turnover for any proven violation. For repeated offenses, this could escalate to 20 per cent and in cases of systematic infringements, more drastic measures such as acquisition bans could be imposed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 26, 2024 11:37 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).