Key Points
That fact has triggered increasing alarm in the corridors of Brussels, as the EU tries to understand how exactly those companies warp the economy around them..
Now as the EU enacts another historic piece of tech regulation, the Digital Markets Act, which companies must comply with starting tomorrow, March 7, a different critic du jour sums up the new mood in Brussels...
For years, Europes wanna-be Big Tech rivals, like Swedens Spotify or Switzerlands ProtonMail, have claimed that companies like Google, Meta, and Apple unfairly limit their ability to reach potential users, through tactics like preinstalling Gmail on new Android phones or Apples strict rules for the App Store..
EU lawmakers have adopted the motto Dont break up big tech companies, break them open.. In theory, that means big changes for EU residents digital lives..
Users of iPhones should soon be able to download apps from places other than Apples app store; Microsoft Windows will no longer have Microsoft-owned Bing as its default search tool; Meta-owned WhatsApp users will be able to communicate with people on rival messaging apps; and Google and Amazon will have to tweak their search results to create more room for rivals..
