Tech lobby concerned over EU's swift move to probe major tech firms

The European Union's recent decision to begin investigations into Apple, Google, and Meta under a new digital law has elicited concern from key tech lobbying groups.

This move, as announced by the European Commission, represents the inaugural probes under this legislation.

Daniel Friedlaender, head of the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) Europe, expressed reservations regarding the pace of these investigations.

Friedlaender remarked, "The timing of these announcements, while the DMA compliance workshops are still ongoing, makes it look like the Commission could be jumping the gun."

Friedlaender further emphasized the complexity of data collection in such cases, adding, "As we all know, data takes time to collect. What we see now, however, sends a worrying signal that the EU might rush into investigations without knowing what they're investigating."

In response to these concerns, EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager assured the public of the Commission's diligence. Vestager stated, "We take stakeholder input as an important input. But of course, it is up to us to take the decision about opening cases. It's for us to prove that something is wrong here."

She firmly dismissed the notion of a rushed process, asserting, "I definitely do not think that this is rushed. I think it is very timely, reflecting the promises that have been given and the law that has been passed."

These probes, which could lead to significant penalties for the companies involved, are part of the EU's enforcement of the Digital Markets Act.

The act seeks to regulate the digital market and promote fair competition. It requires major tech firms like Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Amazon, and ByteDance to give users more control over pre-installed software and to seek consent for data usage.

Source: Newsroom