One year in, EU turning up heat in fight with big tech
If 2024 already looks like an annus horribilis for big tech in the EU, the months ahead could prove a winter of discontent as the bloc wields a fortified new legal armoury to bring online titans to heel.
Since August 2023, the world's biggest digital platforms have faced the toughest ever tech regulations in the European Union – which shows no sign of slowing down in enforcing them.
Brussels scored its first major victory after forcing TikTok to permanently remove an "addictive" feature from a spinoff app in Europe in August, a year after content moderation rules under the bloc's Digital Services Act (DSA) started to apply.
That followed a seven-day period earlier in the summer in which Brussels issued back-to-back decisions targeting Apple, Meta and Microsoft.
And more is to come before 2024 is over, say officials.
The EU's moves are all thanks to two laws, the DSA – which forces companies to police online content – and its sister competition law, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) – which gives big tech a list of what they can and can't do in business.
Since the DMA curbs kicked in in March, the EU has notably pressured Apple to back down in a spat with Fortnite maker Epic over a gaming app store.
"This is just the beginning," Penfrat said.
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