๐From 7 March, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) will come into force in the EU, changing the rules for large platforms. WhatsApp will have to interact with other chat services, and Apple will allow iPhone users to download apps from other app stores. The DMA is expected to create more competition by introducing rules for the so-called “gatekeepers” in order to break up the market position of large platforms.
๐ค๐ช๐ต๐ผ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ?
The EU Commission identified 22 gatekeeper services from six companies, including Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google) and Meta (Facebook).
๐คณ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ:
Messages from other services should end up in a separate area to indicate different security standards. Whatsapp uses Signal’s encryption technology, which makes integration with other services easier.๐ฑ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ-๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ฃ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ:
App developers have two options: Either continue to use Apple’s App Store and pay a 15 or 30 per cent levy, or switch to new terms with lower fees of 10 or 17 per cent plus 3 per cent when using Apple’s billing system.๐๐๐ฝ๐ฝ-๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ:
Epic Games is planning its own iPhone download platform after Fortnite was banned from the App Store. Setapp, a subscription app marketplace, is also planning to launch in April. Spotify and Epic sharply criticise the new rules.
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Spotify criticises the new fee structure and the core technology levy as not DMA-compliant. Epic and Spotify also criticise that the new fees could prevent developers from distributing their apps via other stores.
๐ซ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐:
The EU Commission can impose fines of up to 10 per cent of annual turnover for violations. Repeated violations could even be penalised with up to 20 percent. As a last resort, there is the option of breaking up the company, which could ultimately be decided by the courts