Major tech firms like Google, Apple, Microsoft and Amazon are once again the target of Europe’s regulatory rules. Now, the European Commission now wants tech giants to reveal how they rank their services and rival products.
EU lawmakers want to create a fairer system that stops unfair practices by online platforms and applications. The rules were first proposed by the European Commission last year. Its platform-to-business law aims at services like Apple’s App Store, the Microsoft Store, and Amazon.
Those are certainly not the only companies as this is a blanket law for all tech giants. So, throw in Facebook, Instagram, Google Shopping, Search, Bing, Yahoo, and many more.
“Our target is to outlaw some of the most unfair practices and create a benchmark for transparency, at the same time safeguarding the great advantages of online platforms both for consumers and for businesses,” EU digital chief Andrus Ansip says.
Tech companies, used to dealing with harsh regulations in Europe are relatively happy with the lightness of the new rule:
“It seems EU policymakers understood that imposing such a one-size-fits-all framework makes little sense in one of the most diverse and dynamic sectors of the economy,” Jakob Kucharczyk of tech lobbying group CCIA said.
The laws came into effect Thursday when the European Parliament, the Commission, and member countries all agreed on the changes. Next in the legalization process is an approval from EU countries and the assembly.
Clamping Down
Google particularly is certainly no stranger to problems in Europe and those issues look set to continue under new GDPR laws. The company has been handed the two largest fines in the history of the European Commission.
EU’s General Data Protection Regulation is a sweeping law that came into effect earlier this year. Companies scrambled to gain compliance for GDPR as the penalties for ignoring the laws can be harsh.
For example, there is a $23 million fine or 4% of worldwide revenue for the previous year for not protecting data.
