Apple is among a list of companies such as Google and Meta who will be investigated by the European Commission for alleged breaches of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) (via Reuters).
The act, which came into place on March 6, was enacted by the EU to curb anti-competitiveness and to allow customers the ability to have their choice of different services rather than forcing them to use the defaults provided. Failure to comply with these rules could see gatekeeper companies get fined as much as 10% of their annual turnover.
Following on from its launch, as well as the launch of iOS 17.4 which included changes to meet the DMA’s requirements, the Commission has now said that they are concerned that the changes that companies such as Apple have made so far may not be fully compliant with the DMA.
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Apple is specifically called out for its new fee structure that the company announced in January, as well as its other terms for alternative app stores and distribution of web apps. The Commission says that Apple may be defeating the purpose of its obligations to the DMA. As a result, the company could be forced to change these terms or face fines. Concerns were also pointed to Google prioritizing results from its own services, such as Google Flights and shopping when users access its search engine.
The announcement from the European Commission today comes after months of mass scrutiny of Apple’s alleged anti-competitive practices. This scrutiny could also result in Apple facing consequences across the Atlantic, with the United States Justice Department filing an antitrust case against the company last week.
