Facebook takes a hit on Apple while backing draft EU rules

Facebook said on Tuesday it hoped that a new draft of European Union rules aimed at limiting the powers of large U.S. companies could set limits on Apple, its latest steal in an ongoing feud.

The companies clashed after Apple announced a privacy feature that allowed users to block advertisers from following them in different apps.

Facebook and other companies, which earn revenue from the sale of ads, had said the feature would hurt developers. Apple hit back by saying, When invasive tracking is your business model, you tend not to welcome transparency and customer choice.

One of the EU’s draft rules – the Digital Markets Act (DMA) – targets large companies and calls for stopping the promotion of their own services on their platforms.

We hope that DMA will also set limits for Apple, a Facebook spokesperson said.

Apple controls an entire ecosystem, from the device to the App Store and apps, and uses that power to harm developers and consumers, as well as big platforms like Facebook, he said. .

Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Another rule, the Digital Services Act (DSA), requires businesses with over 45 million users to do more to tackle illegal content and intentional manipulation of platforms to influence elections, among other requirements, or face heavy fines.

Facebook has been regularly criticized for not doing enough to prevent people from using the platform for hate speech or spreading fake news.

The social media network, one of the US companies that will fall under the new rules, praised the European Union’s stance and said it was “on the right track to help preserve what is good on the Internet.”

“We have long called for harmful content regulation and have actively contributed to several European initiatives in this area, including the EU Code of Conduct on Hate Speech.”