According to three individuals familiar with the matter, Apple and Meta Platforms are likely to face charges for non-compliance with significant EU regulations aimed at curbing their market dominance before this summer. The European Commission, which initiated investigations into the two tech giants along with Alphabet’s Google in March under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), has prioritized Apple and Meta as key cases.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The DMA mandates that major tech companies open up their platforms to foster competition from smaller rivals and facilitate user switching between competing online services such as social media platforms, web browsers, and app stores.
Preliminary findings, akin to antitrust charges, are expected to be issued by EU regulators before the August summer break, with Apple anticipated to be charged first, followed by Meta. The sources indicated that the European Commission and Meta declined to provide comments, while Apple referred back to its March statement asserting compliance with the DMA and ongoing cooperation with the Commission.
Ahead of a final decision expected before EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager’s departure in November, companies under investigation can propose remedies to address concerns raised in the preliminary findings. Potential penalties for breaches could amount to up to 10% of a company’s global annual turnover.
The investigation into Apple focuses on its steering rules, which regulators contend restrict app developers from informing users about alternative offers outside of its App Store without cost, as well as its new fees imposed on app developers. A separate investigation concerning Apple’s choice screen for the Safari web browser is anticipated to require more time.
Regarding Meta, the preliminary findings are centered on its recent pay or consent model, where users pay a subscription fee for an ad-free experience on Facebook and Instagram.
The Financial Times initially reported on the impending charges against Apple.
Discover more from Naija247news
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
