Apple And Microsoft Want Bing And iMessage Off The EU’s List Of “Tech Gatekeepers”
Headlines:
- Apple and Microsoft are trying to push away iMessage and Bing off the EU’s list of “tech gatekeepers.”
- They have stated that iMessage and Bing do not provide substantial enough services to rival their likes and enter their level of competition.
- This comes in lieu of the new Digital Markets Act that’s set to impose various terms and conditions on big players in the tech industry.
With the European Union (EU) shaking up things in the tech and online industry in the continent, their new policies under the Digital Markets Act have restricted various companies worldwide.
In anticipation of these new policies, many software and hardware have not yet been launched in the European markets, as this Act (to be in effect in early 2024) can prove detrimental (or beneficial) for many. This is the reason why Meta’s new Twitter rival, Threads, hasn’t been launched in Europe yet.
However, a list of companies is being created by the EU that will face the restrictions of the Digital Markets Act. Here, mostly big companies (referred to as “gatekeepers”) are being targeted the most. This is because these companies are big enough to change the tech and software industry as a whole.
#Apple and #Microsoft, the most valuable companies in 🇺🇸, have argued some of their flagship services are insufficiently popular to be designated “gatekeepers” under landmark new EU legislation designed to curb the power of Big Tech
— Umberto GAMBINI 🇪🇺🏴🇪🇺🇮🇹🇪🇺 (@UGambini) September 4, 2023
By @JavierespFT https://t.co/tuCfnk8q0f
Regarding this list, Apple and Microsoft have some queries – against iMessage and Bing. According to these two tech giants, the latter two companies are not “big” or “significant” enough to compete with them and have the term “gatekeeper.” However, the EU thinks otherwise.
So far, the biggest “tech gatekeepers” that are on the list (apart from the aforementioned two companies) are Samsung, Meta, ByteDance, and Amazon. These six companies will have to accept the restrictions regarding some of their services (or provide more of them) according to the DMA’s rules. After the final list is revealed on September 6, they will have until March 2024 to make changes and comply with these rules.
According to Microsoft and Apple, iMessage and Bing do not have that many users to make them stand in the “same league” as them. They do not hit the 45 million user threshold as required under the DMA to be considered as a “gatekeeper.”
However, the final list will be revealed by the EU tomorrow. Let’s see if they heed Apple and Microsoft’s requests or not.
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