- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- Hezbollah fires at Israel as wars rage on Yom Kippur
- Analysts warn more detail needed on new China economic measures
- China tees up fresh spending to boost ailing economy
- China says will issue special bonds to boost ailing economy
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Dodgers drop Padres 2-0 to advance in MLB playoffs
- Alexei Navalny wrote he knew he would die in prison in new memoir
- Last-minute legal ruling allows betting on US election
- Despite hurricanes, Floridians refuse to leave 'paradise'
- Israel observes Yom Kippur amid firestorm over Lebanon strikes
- Trump demonizes migrants in dark, misleading speech
- X says 'alert' to manipulation efforts after pro-Russia bots report
- US, European markets rise before Boeing unveils sweeping job cuts
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Comoros shock Tunisia, Salah, Mbeumo strike in AFCON qualifiers
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Germany win in Nations League as 10-man Dutch rescue point
- Undav brace sends Germany to victory against Bosnia
- Israel says fired at 'threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- Ecuador's last mountain iceman dies at 80
- Milton leaves at least 16 dead, millions without power in Florida
- Senegal set to announce breakaway development agenda: PM
- UN says 2 peacekeepers wounded in south Lebanon explosions
- Injury-hit Australia thrash 'embarrassing' Pakistan at Women's T20 World Cup
- Internal TikTok documents show prioritization of traffic over well-being
- Israel says fired at 'immediate threat' near UN position in Lebanon
- New US coach Pochettino hails Pulisic but worries over workload
- Brazil orders closure of 2,000 betting sites
- UK govt urged to raise pro-democracy tycoon's case with China
- Sculptor Lalanne's animal creations sell for $59 mn
- From Tesla to Trump: Behind Musk's giant leap into politics
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- Supercharged hurricanes trigger 'perfect storm' for disinformation
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Djokovic proves staying power as he progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
- Sheffield Utd boss Wilder 'numb' after Baldock death
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- Fans immerse themselves in Marina Abramovic's first China exhibition
- Israel says conducting review after UN peacekeepers wounded in Lebanon
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Djokovic 'overwhelmed' after 'greatest rival' Nadal's retirement
- Zelensky in Berlin says hopes war with Russia will end next year
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Djokovic proves staying power as progresses to Shanghai semi-finals
EU probes Apple, Google, Meta under new digital law
The EU on Monday hit Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Meta with the first ever probes under a mammoth digital law, which could lead to big fines against the US giants.
The European Commission, the EU's antitrust regulator, announced that it "suspects that the measures put in place by these gatekeepers fall short of effective compliance of their obligations under the DMA" -- the bloc's Digital Markets Act.
Since March 7, six of the world's biggest tech companies -- Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok owner ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft -- have had to comply with the EU's landmark DMA after being named so-called "gatekeepers".
The DMA has lofty goals of creating a fairer digital space by curbing how the biggest companies act online, including ensuring they give users more choice.
Senior officials have acknowledged that changes are already taking place, but suggested that they did not go far enough.
"We are not convinced that the solutions by Alphabet, Apple and Meta respect their obligations for a fairer and more open digital space for European citizens and businesses," said the EU's internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton.
Under the new rules, the commission can impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company's total global turnover. This can rise to up to 20 percent for repeat offenders.
In extreme circumstances, the EU has the power to break up companies.
Unlike the EU's traditional rules that saw probes last for years, the DMA demands regulators act fast and complete any investigation within 12 months of its start.
- Restriction fears -
Monday's probes are focused on whether Alphabet's Google Play and Apple's App Store are allowing app developers to show consumers offers, free of charge, outside of those app marketplaces.
"The commission is concerned that Alphabet's and Apple's measures may not be fully compliant as they impose various restrictions and limitations," it said in a statement.
Alphabet is also under suspicion over whether Google search results favour its own services -- Google Shopping, Google Flights and Google Hotels -- over rivals.
The EU slapped a whopping 2.4-billion-euro ($2.6 billion) fine on Google in 2017 over similar claims of self-preferencing.
Apple is also under the spotlight over whether it allows users to easily uninstall apps on its iOS operating system and the design of the web browser choice screen.
Under the DMA, the gatekeepers must offer choice screens for web browsers and search engines in a bid to level the playing field and give users more options.
Meta faces more problems over its ad-free subscriptions model, which has already been targeted by three complaints since it launched in November.
The commission fears the "binary choice" for EU users "may not provide a real alternative in case users do not consent, thereby not achieving the objective of preventing the accumulation of personal data by gatekeepers".
Meta has faced an avalanche of legal problems in the EU over its data processing, including a 1.2 billion-euro fine last year for data privacy breaches.
- Turning sour on Apple -
In a separate move, regulators will also explore whether Amazon may be favouring its own brand products on the Amazon Store and whether Apple's new fee structure for alternative app stores "may be defeating the purpose" of its DMA obligations.
EU regulators also ordered Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft to "retain certain documents to monitor the effective implementation and compliance".
Monday's announcement is one more problem for Apple, which faces a glut of legal challenges on both sides of the Atlantic.
Last week, the US Department of Justice sued Apple, accusing the company of operating a monopoly in the smartphone market.
That was just weeks after the EU slapped a 1.8-billion-euro fine on the iPhone maker for preventing consumers from accessing cheaper music streaming subscriptions.
Apple said it would appeal the EU fine.
D.Cunningha--AMWN