EU Revisits Apple, Google, and Meta Investigations Amid Political Shifts

Image Credit: Reuters

The European Commission is revisiting its investigations into major tech companies such as Apple, Meta, and Google, according to a report from the Financial Times on Tuesday. These companies have urged U.S. President-elect Trump to challenge the EU’s regulatory actions against them.

One source indicated that the review was influenced by the anticipated impact of Trump’s presidency, though his election victory did not directly trigger the reassessment. The review could result in a reduction or alteration of the scope of the ongoing investigations, which include all cases initiated under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) since March 2024.

The DMA, introduced in 2022, is one of the toughest regulatory frameworks aimed at limiting the market dominance of Big Tech. It sets restrictions on what major tech platforms can do and imposes potential fines of up to 10% of a company’s annual revenue for violations.

While the review is ongoing, any decisions or penalties related to Apple, Meta, and Google will be paused, although technical work on the cases will continue. Regulators are now awaiting political guidance before making final decisions on these cases.

The DMA’s goal is to ensure a more level playing field for smaller competitors by curbing the power of dominant tech firms. Recently, Meta overhauled its U.S. fact-checking program in one of the largest changes to its approach to political content, which is seen as an attempt by CEO Mark Zuckerberg to improve relations with the incoming Trump administration.

Additionally, the EU is considering expanding its investigation into whether Elon Musk’s social media platform X, a close associate of Trump, has violated content moderation rules.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paraphrasing text from "Reuters" all rights reserved by the original author.