EU launches mass DMA violation probes against Apple, Google, and Meta

Jump to First Reply
Posted:
in iPhone edited March 2024

Using its new powers under the Digital Markets Act, the European Union has announced sweeping probes into US Big Tech, including multiple investigations of Apple.

European Union flag with App Store logo superimposed
European Union flag with App Store logo superimposed



As of early March 2024, Apple has enabled the creation of third-party rivals to its own App Store, specifically and solely because it has been forced to under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). As part of that same DMA, the EU now has the authority and regulatory powers to investigate qualifying firms and, if it sees fit, apply steep fines for any perceived breaches of the law.

Now the EU has formally announced the start of several such investigations, covering Apple, Meta, and Google's parent company Alphabet, with some elements also pertaining to Amazon's dealings with some of these firms. For Apple, the investigation covers:

  • App Store steering rules

  • Browser choice screen

  • Apple's new fee structure for alternative app stores



"Today, the Commission opens five non-compliance investigations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA)," said Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President in charge of competition policy. "We suspect that the suggested solutions put forward by the three companies do not fully comply with the DMA."

The EU's announcement says that this suspicion of the companies failing to comply with the laws, follows its own analysis of compliance measures, but also "feedback from stakeholders." While not named, those stakeholders will include the likes of Spotify and Epic Games, who have both publicly reported having complained to the EU.

In a statement to AppleInsider and other venues, the company says that it is in compliance with the new law.

"We're confident our plan complies with the DMA, and we'll continue to constructively engage with the European Commission as they conduct their investigations. Teams across Apple have created a wide range of new developer capabilities, features, and tools to comply with the regulation. At the same time, we've introduced protections to help reduce new risks to the privacy, quality, and security of our EU users' experience.

Throughout, we've demonstrated flexibility and responsiveness to the European Commission and developers, listening and incorporating their feedback."

The EU's next steps



Apple, and all Big Tech "gatekeepers" have now also been ordered to retain certain documentation that can be used to monitor the effectiveness of their implementation of the DMA regulations.

"The Commission has opened proceedings against Apple regarding their measures to comply with obligations to enable end users to easily uninstall any software applications on iOS, easily change default settings on iOS," says the EU, "and prompt users with choice screens which must effectively and easily allow them to select an alternative default service, such as a browser or search engine on their iPhones."

This investigation into Apple has officially started on March 25, and the EU says that it aims to conclude all such probes within 12 months. After that, it will inform Apple and the others of the steps it will require them to take in order to remedy any perceived non-compliance.

The EU is empowered to impose one-off fines of up to 10% of a company's worldwide turnover -- and 20% for repeated infringements. The European Commission can also force companies to sell off their businesses, or part of them.



Read on AppleInsider

«1

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 40
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,679member

    Using its new powers under the Digital Markets Act, the European Union has announced sweeping probes into US Big Tech, including multiple investigations of Apple.





    ...the EU has formally announced the start of several such investigations, covering Apple, Meta, and Google's parent company Alphabet, with some elements also pertaining to Amazon's dealings with some of these firms. For Apple, the investigation covers:

    • App Store steering rules
    • Browser choice screen
    • Apple's new fee structure for alternative app stores
    Meta (Facebook) had essentially the same "fee structure" complaint voiced by Vestager last week. 
    Alphabets investigation will presumably be their continuing services self-preference, specifically that in some EU countries they still offer a Google Flights tab. :/

    Otherwise, who knows until details are released over the next several days. 
    edited March 2024
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 40
    blitz1blitz1 Posts: 451member
    EU to Apple: We’re done being nice. Playtime is over!
    nubus9secondkox2williamlondon
     1Like 0Dislikes 2Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 40
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,107member
    The EU is so F”d up 
    iOS_Guy80pulseimagesjbdragonhecalderdanoxjas99watto_cobra
     7Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 4 of 40
    pwrmacpwrmac Posts: 62member
    The EU with Verstager as DMA Executioner has now found a new source of income.. leeching big US tech companies. No more future financial budget problems in the EU. US should do same with EU big tech but that is non existant!
    pulseimagesJaiOh81jbdragonTheSparklehecalderteejay2012rmusikantowjas99h2pwatto_cobra
     10Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 5 of 40
    Vestager uses a lot of 'we feel' and 'we are concerned'. Fortunately EU courts are more about the letter of the law than interpretations and I hope this will be like the Apple-Irish tax case. Still this has got to be painful for Apple and the other companies she has targeted. It also makes me wonder how much of this could have been avoided by changes in Apple policies and behaviour years ago, or if this was always going to be a 'EU vs US tech companies' showdown.
    9secondkox2jas99freeassociate2watto_cobra
     3Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 6 of 40
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,679member
    Vestager uses a lot of 'we feel' and 'we are concerned'. Fortunately EU courts are more about the letter of the law than interpretations and I hope this will be like the Apple-Irish tax case.
    While not widely mentioned, that tax case will almost certainly be retried, at least in part, and the previous Apple appeal that dismissed it reversed. 
    edited March 2024
    jbdragon9secondkox2
     0Likes 0Dislikes 2Informatives
  • Reply 7 of 40
    red oakred oak Posts: 1,107member
    Likely outcome:  Apple will raise iPhone pricing in EU to cover DMA costs 

    Current pricing is based on current rules.  Dramatically change the rules, change the pricing 

    And Apple should let consumers know this is the reason they are doing it.  They can literally put a “DMA Compliance” line item in the online checkout.  

    Yeah, Apple may lose some share.  But the EU is becoming less relevant every year 
    edited March 2024
    iOS_Guy80pulseimagesigorskyjbdragonMisterKit9secondkox2hecalderdanoxteejay2012jas99
     12Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 8 of 40
    Glad I don’t live in the EU. 
    igorskyjbdragon9secondkox2hecalderrmusikantowjas99h2pwatto_cobra
     8Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 9 of 40
    igorskyigorsky Posts: 777member
    blitz1 said:
    EU to Apple: We’re done being nice. Playtime is over!
    Time to start digging their claws into their favorite piggy bank, amirite?
    jbdragonTheSparkle9secondkox2hecalderjas99h2pradarthekatwatto_cobra
     8Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 10 of 40
    God bless Brexit.
    9secondkox2williamlondonh2pwatto_cobra
     3Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 11 of 40
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,312member
    As the EU gets more and more insane with all these policies.  It makes it more and more harder for anyone NEW to get into the market.  It's just to costly.  Basically, locking these companies in place.  What happens if Google and Apple pull out of the EU?  Could that happen?  Google is not even in China.  With the trade ban with China continuing to grow, who knows how much longer for Apple?   The EU is a huge market.   At some point, these companies need to put their foot down as the EU is getting too controlling for their own good.

    If you don't like how Apple or Google does things with THEIR phones, how about an EU company makes their own OS and sell their own phones!!!  Oh wait, regulations is so insane, it's almost impossible for startups in the EU.  Where are they?  It's pretty rare.  Everything they keep doing is just locking in place these U.S. companies because no one in the EU can afford to do anything.  It takes a lot of money and TIME.   Better for the EU to just steal it from American companies.

    badmonktmay9secondkox2hecalderrmusikantowjas99watto_cobra
     6Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 12 of 40
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,243member
    LOL

    “gee, let’s build a trap for successful American tech companies and then attack them when their maimed by it. How dare they try to survive”

    Funny how the dma is so recent, initially going back to 2022, but really taking effect  just last year and already it’s added to in order to single out Americas most successful tech company. Then reinterpreted however they want, even going so far as to have a dma author give a public statement on why apple is in violation before any “probe” was done. And that’s being generous to their idea of investigation. Previous public statements indicate it really only takes European tech companies voicing disagreements to whatever apple does (which is what competitors do-try to take you down, set themselves up on your corpse, etc.). It’s a really rather embarassing display to see how remedial the EU’s IQ is. Incompetence with that kind of authority is devastating. The worst part is when it’s coupled with pride, so any mistake will be doubled down on rather than fixed. I feel very sorry for Europeans - and even more sorry for Apple. Sucks when evil wins. 
    hecalderjas99watto_cobra
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 13 of 40
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,860member
    Bilking money from US technology firms is proving to be a major for-profit industry in the EU. When are they going to ask SAP to open up their business to third party control?

    It’s pretty clear that the ultimate goal of the EU is to drive all of these highly successful US businesses to say F-It to doing any business in the EU. This will allow them to install their own homegrown EU businesses to serve the needs of EU citizens. I’m sure EU citizens will be more than happy to own a Europhone, gather all of their apps via the EuroStore, browse the web using the Eurobrowser, and hook up with their fellow Eurocitizens using Eurobook and Eurotweet. 

    Everyone has a limited tolerance to putting up with bullying and bullshit. The EU is trying to see far they can get up in the shorts of the non-EU companies they loathe because of their success and attractiveness to Eurocitizens. This may end very badly for the EU provocateurs. 
    rob53jas99watto_cobra
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 14 of 40
    9secondkox29secondkox2 Posts: 3,243member
    Vestager uses a lot of 'we feel' and 'we are concerned'. Fortunately EU courts are more about the letter of the law than interpretations and I hope this will be like the Apple-Irish tax case. Still this has got to be painful for Apple and the other companies she has targeted. It also makes me wonder how much of this could have been avoided by changes in Apple policies and behaviour years ago, or if this was always going to be a 'EU vs US tech companies' showdown.
    But that’s the point. There was nothing wrong with apples policies. Apple shouldn’t have to preemptively change in order to appease incompetent dictators. Those policies are what made apple what it is and why customers choose them over everyone else. 
    rmusikantowjas99watto_cobra
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 15 of 40
    nubusnubus Posts: 677member
    jbdragon said:
    As the EU gets more and more insane with all these policies.  It makes it more and more harder for anyone NEW to get into the market.  It's just to costly
    There is a massive antitrust case in the US with 15 states taking part. UK is demanding 6 years of free repairs and there is a legislative mess in the UK with consumers and app-developers demanding billions from Apple UK in cases that haven't been settled. India is demanding local production, and so you end up only being able to work with the communists in China - that happened to shut all factories causing major disruptions 2 years ago. Is it the entire world or Apple that is failing? Well.. could be the world, but that won't help.

    We need some Realpolitik and for Apple to navigate the real world.
    gatorguywilliamlondonmuthuk_vanalingamwatto_cobra
     3Likes 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 16 of 40
    rob53rob53 Posts: 3,330member
    nubus said:
    jbdragon said:
    As the EU gets more and more insane with all these policies.  It makes it more and more harder for anyone NEW to get into the market.  It's just to costly
    There is a massive antitrust case in the US with 15 states taking part. UK is demanding 6 years of free repairs and there is a legislative mess in the UK with consumers and app-developers demanding billions from Apple UK in cases that haven't been settled. India is demanding local production, and so you end up only being able to work with the communists in China - that happened to shut all factories causing major disruptions 2 years ago. Is it the entire world or Apple that is failing? Well.. could be the world, but that won't help.

    We need some Realpolitik and for Apple to navigate the real world.
    Communists? What term do you use for the EU? I see them as being an economic dictatorship over Europe. The biggest problem with all these lawsuits by the EU is that the EU is struggling to produce much of anything that people outside of the EU really want to buy. How many European companies are "owned" by China? How many goods are sold in the EU that are manufactured by China? Does the EU actually produce many products sold globally? It appears the only way for the EU to many money is to sue non-EU companies. Is the EU going to sue Apple when they substantially raise their prices for all their products? Maybe the USA needs to shut down access to American websites and products from the EU. Two can play this game and in the longterm it's the consumers that lose while politicians make tons of money. 
    williamlondonjas99watto_cobra
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 17 of 40
    Hopefully this fall we can elect a president in the US that gives a damn about these bullying tactics against US tech companies.  There doesn’t seem to be any acknowledgement of the work that went into completely changing iOS in the EU — it’s just more investigations, ongoing.

    I can’t imagine that Apple legal didn’t structure everything according to the letter of the law — the companies complaining are just doing what they do best, not understanding the legality of what Apple implemented.  And the EU continues to not understand any of the technology from any of these companies.  They don’t appreciate it because tech innovation doesn’t come out of the EU.  They just don’t get it.
    edited March 2024
    hecalderwatto_cobra
     2Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 18 of 40
    blitz1blitz1 Posts: 451member
    Love to see you all whine about the very, very bad, no good EU.

    Popcorn time
    hecalderwilliamlondon
     1Like 0Dislikes 1Informative
  • Reply 19 of 40
    Let me see when all countries in the EU pay there debt back to how they like to refer to everyone else that we are colonies. Maybe. We should just leave them on their own. With the monies owed we could lower our  debt here in america. We should do exactly the same and leech the companies from Europe see how they like it. Maybe in that sense I agree with Trump you don’t pay what your owed you don’t get support from us. Let’s see how long nato can survive without america. We need to stop bailing out all these governments. Only ones I feel bad about are the people who pay the consequences of there backward thinking governments and excessive regulation control. They should be more worried about there people and there problems instead of trying to make a profit of others. Stop thinking like the 18th century that everyone has to pay them royalties. Provide a service and benefit to the world and then you can charge a fee for it. Otherwise let competition continue worldwide. 
    edited March 2024
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 20 of 40
    danoxdanox Posts: 3,509member
    jbdragon said:
    As the EU gets more and more insane with all these policies.  It makes it more and more harder for anyone NEW to get into the market.  It's just to costly.  Basically, locking these companies in place.  What happens if Google and Apple pull out of the EU?  Could that happen?  Google is not even in China.  With the trade ban with China continuing to grow, who knows how much longer for Apple?   The EU is a huge market.   At some point, these companies need to put their foot down as the EU is getting too controlling for their own good.

    If you don't like how Apple or Google does things with THEIR phones, how about an EU company makes their own OS and sell their own phones!!!  Oh wait, regulations is so insane, it's almost impossible for startups in the EU.  Where are they?  It's pretty rare.  Everything they keep doing is just locking in place these U.S. companies because no one in the EU can afford to do anything.  It takes a lot of money and TIME.   Better for the EU to just steal it from American companies.

    Walmart isn't in the EU they tried but they pulled out..........
    edited March 2024
    watto_cobra
     1Like 0Dislikes 0Informatives
Sign In or Register to comment.