L’UE rivaluta le indagini tecnologiche su Apple, Google e Meta. Bruxelles sta rivalutando le sue indagini sui giganti della tecnologia tra cui Apple, Meta e Google, proprio mentre i gruppi statunitensi sollecitano il presidente eletto Donald Trump a intervenire contro ciò che definiscono un’eccessiva zelante applicazione dell’UE
https://www.ft.com/content/2c1b6bfd-ce73-451d-8123-0df964266ae8?
di EUstrongerthanUS
22 commenti
The review, which could lead to the European Commission scaling back or changing the remit of the probes, will cover all cases launched since March last year under the EU’s digital markets regulations, according to two officials briefed on the move.
It comes as the Brussels body begins a new five-year term amid mounting pressure over its handling of the landmark cases and as Trump prepares to return to the White House next week.
“It’s going to be a whole new ballgame with these tech oligarchs so close to Trump and using that to pressurise us,” said a senior EU diplomat briefed on the review. “So much is up in the air right now.”
All decisions and potential fines will be paused while the review is completed, but technical work on the cases will continue, the officials said.
While some of the investigations under review are at an early stage, others are more advanced. Charges in a probe into Google’s alleged favouring of its app store had been expected last year.
Two other EU officials said Brussels regulators were now waiting for political direction to take final decisions on the Google, Apple and Meta cases.
The review comes as EU lawmakers call for the commission to hold its nerve against US pressure, while Silicon Valley chiefs hail Trump’s return as the start of an era of lighter tech regulation.
Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, on Friday called on the president-elect to stop Brussels from fining US tech companies, complaining that EU regulators had forced them to pay “more than $30bn” in penalties over the past 20 years.
Zuckerberg, who recently announced plans to abolish fact-checking on Facebook and Instagram — potentially running foul of EU rules — said he was confident the incoming Trump administration wanted to defend American interests abroad.
The implications of Trump’s presidency were a factor in the review, one of the officials said, while insisting his victory had not triggered it
The commission said it “remains fully committed to the effective enforcement” of its rules. “There is no delay in finalising the opened non-compliance cases, and especially not due to any political considerations,” an EU spokesperson said.
The ongoing cases were “not yet ready at technical level”, the spokesperson added, arguing that such investigations took time because of their complexity, novelty and the “need to ensure that commission decisions are legally robust”.
Before Trump’s victory, EU regulators had been pursuing aggressive action against the world’s biggest tech groups, passing a clutch of reforms aimed at opening markets and setting a regulatory framework for Big Tech.
Under the Digital Markets Act, a law seeking to curb the market abuse of big platforms, Brussels launched investigations last March into Apple, Google and Meta.
The commission has also come under pressure to use the full powers of the Digital Services Act, a set of rules aimed at policing content online, to curb the growing influence of tech billionaire Elon Musk in European affairs.
In addition to the similar investigation of Google’s owner Alphabet, the commission has been looking at whether Apple favoured its own app store, as well as Facebook owner Meta’s use of personal data for ads.
Brussels is also consulting Apple’s rivals on the tech giant’s proposals to make its iOS operating system compatible with connected devices.
EU lawmakers have called for regulators to hold firm. Stephanie Yon-Courtin, an MEP who was involved in drafting the tech rules, said EU probes could not be sacrificed to avoid diplomatic fallout.
In a letter to Ursula von der Leyen, the commission president, Yon-Courtin said the DMA “cannot be taken hostage”.
She added: “Please reassure me that your cabinet and yourself are fully supporting the effective implementation of the DMA, without further delay.”
To me this is very simple: if they stop it because of Trump then this was all just to fine the US companies. If they continue it then this was about the EU citizens.
“How dare a foreign government decide and enact their policies” – USA probably
On another note, this would be MUCH more interesting if Europe had a viable native software ecosystem!
As Volt MEP Boeselager [pointed out](https://streamable.com/a6ojug); our countries have lost sovereignty. If you can’t defend yourself, you simply don’t have sovereignty.
The only answer is a federal Europe 🇪🇺 with its own standing military forces.
Everyone please keep in mind – if someone throws tariffs at a country, the people working in a factory in that country can continue to work. But, if for example, Open AI decides to cut ties with the EU because of Presidential Order from Trump (influenced by a delusional Musk), then every business process that i reliant on Open AI is going to stop instantly – thats a big reason for concern!
He hasn’t even taken office and already the EU is bending over backwards to suck his disgusting orange toes it’s unreal.
If the US decided to hang the EU, the only thing the EU would do is ask to use european rope.
the bots are out in full force today. shut up sheep, buy American, consume Meta’s all new AI features ™
EU Commission if they fold to US pressure: Wet Towels that acknowledge a feudal relationship between king Don and European vassals.
Don’t, just push through, if they don’t want tit they can stop operating in the EU.
Is it just me, or the headline of the article not match the contents. I.e The headline is clickbait, and then the title of this post adds clickbait to the clickbait?
I will say it one more time although everyone likes to say that US bla bla bla.
It is not US’s nor the tech giants form the US that EU committed suicide on the technology sector. EU years ago made the decision to sell everything we had offshore. Now years later the results came in and EU ‘s only weapon is to penalize (by creating rules for non EU companies) those companies.
We though that those companies will just sit and take it like nothing is happening and they will loose money .
Well surprise, they just waited for the proper person to come on the proper position.
Now US says , you do tariffs/fines etc? we do as well.
I really cant understand why people refuse to understand that companies will not sit idle and loose money forever. We as EU do the same. stop nagging people it is how the world works.
I hope they push through
about time
Isn’t the US shutting down tiktok because Zuck whined and lobbied with billions against it to get that traffic back? Which he probably won’t because a lot of people simply switched to the chinese version of tiktok, doujiin or rednote or something, that’s, ironically, not banned…
We need more than probes but real action.
And fines are not enough, if the keep not following the rules they should be banned.
At the same time, EU should push its tech sector, although there is already nice open sources alternatives for social media.
EU guidelines even benefits non European nations…. We wouldn’t be having type C iphones here it weren’t for the EU
I said mark my words, and here they’re marked. There is no chance that the EU will continue to probe American tech companies. And I think the commission and heads of state have begun to accept the fact that the EU won’t be able to compete through regulation.
Von der Leyen wants this, but it’s already shot down by quite a few of her own party and the investigations will likely proceed but they might be more cautious. EU isn’t backing down because of Trump, they never had, and they never will.
Hmm seems there are a lot of corporate lobbyists around? Can’t really explain the comments otherwise?
Can the US shut the fuck up? These regulations don’t affect them, it’s our right to regulate our own countries.
They can do with foreign companies whatever they want. They aren’t kissing America ass.
Good timing. It appears that the EU understand how the prisoners dilemma works:
– Use appeasement when it’s a mostly friendly disagreement with a mostly friendly nation
– Go for confrontation when the other side has shown that it is willing to take advantage of your friendliness.