While Apple and Microsoft will escape the scope of the EU's tech crackdown, they will still face new obligations to prevent abuse of their dominance in other parts of their business. (REUTERS)

EU’s Big Tech Crackdown Avoided by Apple iMessage and Microsoft Bing

Apple Inc.’s iMessage and Microsoft Corp.’s Bing search engine, Edge web browser, and Advertising service will be exempt from the stringent new regulations imposed by the European Union to control the activities of major technology platforms.

The investigation concluded that the services do not have a dominant enough position to be regulated under the EU Digital Market Act, the European Commission announced on Tuesday. Apple and Microsoft said they were pleased with the decision in separate statements after the announcement.

The decision by EU regulators is a win for the two US companies, which would have had to adapt their services to meet a raft of new obligations and prohibitions aimed at curbing the abuse of market power. The decision confirms an earlier Bloomberg News report that services would be exempt from the technology crackdown.

We are on WhatsApp channels. Click to join.

The EU’s DMA strikes at the heart of the business models of six of the world’s most powerful technology companies, considered digital “gatekeepers”. Although some of their services are now exempt, Microsoft and Apple — along with Meta Platforms Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Amazon.com Inc. and TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. — still face a host of new obligations. prevent them from abusing their dominant position in other parts of their business.

For Microsoft, this includes the Windows operating system for computers and the LinkedIn social media platform. For Apple, it includes the iOS mobile operating system, the App Store, and the Safari browser.

According to the law, it is illegal for the named companies to favor their own services over those of their competitors. They must not combine personal data across their services, they must not use data they collect from third-party merchants to compete against them, and they must allow users to download apps from competitors.

Also read these top stories today:

Beware of the order trap! More than half of the consumers who answered the survey have experienced subscription traps, hidden fees and other shady patterns when buying apps or other software from their mobile app stores. This article has some interesting details. Check it out here.

Self-driving cars are starting! This CEO shares everything with the people on the road. See all here.

Good news for Apple! Apple led the Indian tablet PC market in 2023 and the December quarter with a 25 percent share. Samsung was in second place with a 23 percent market share in 2023, market research firm CyberMedia Research said. Read all about it here.