Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – 24 technology and media companies signed an open letter demanding that giant 'gatekeepers' such as Google, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok.
The letter contained their dissatisfaction with the technology giant which was deemed not to have tried hard enough to comply with the Digital Market Rules (DMA) set by the European Union (EU).
In the DMA, companies that have monthly active users (MAU) of more than 45 million and have a market capitalization of more than 75 billion euros are categorized as 'gatekeepers'.
Google et al were asked to share their data and platform with new players in an industry whose scale is still developing. For example, they were asked to make their short message application support rivals.
That way, users can determine objectively which applications to choose as default (pre-installed) on electronic devices.
The EU also asked tech giants not to over-promote and recommend their services, thereby closing off opportunities for other competitors.
An open letter from 24 non-gatekeeper technology companies said that Google et al are still not transparent. They said consumers and businesses were not told concretely what would happen to the industry after March 7 2024, when the DMA rules actually come into effect.
“The signatories of this letter are representatives of thousands of businesses affected by the DMA,” wrote the letter, quoted from CNBC International, Wednesday (17/1/2024).
“They asked gatekeepers to coordinate as quickly as possible with users and associations in a constructive dialogue. Apart from that, technology giants were also asked to make solution changes,” stated the letter.
Finally, the letter also asks the European Commission and the European Parliament to mobilize their powers to ensure that gatekeepers actually implement the applicable DMA rules.
Some of the companies signing the letter are eco-friendly search engine Ecosia, privacy-focused search engine Qwant, instant messaging app Element, and VPN service ProtonVPN.
CNBC International tried to contact the European Union Commission and the European Parliament, but did not immediately receive confirmation. The gatekeepers have not yet commented on this open letter.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
Next Article
Google Case Expands to Asia from US, Changes the Future of the Internet
(fab/fab)