The Digital Markets Law advances in the European Parliament, a package of regulations that can radically change the way in which large technology companies relate to users.
One of the big changes implies that the big messaging services, such as WhatsApp and Telegram, are forced to interoperate with each other and with smaller platforms.
In this way, a Signal message could be sent to WhatsApp or Telegram contacts, without major complications.
The norm contemplates serious sanctions for the technological ones that do not comply with the interoperability requirement.
Interoperability, the change that WhatsApp and Telegram do not want
According to the European Union, the large companies that own these platforms are the ones that most often carry out “unfair commercial practices.” Therefore, they will be obliged to comply with these changes all those who have a market capitalization greater than or equal to 75,000 million euros.
Another requirement is that there be at least 45 million users per month in Europe or 10 thousand annual commercial users, according Politico.eu.
If a company meets these requirements, it will be considered a “gatekeeper” for the EU and will be forced to “open” the platform to smaller third-party apps.
With the “gatekeeper” companies, what is sought is that users of less relevant applications can send and receive messages or calls to and from the largest platforms.
This measure, which on the night of Thursday, March 24, had a breakthrough in the European Parliament, clashes with the idea of large companies like Apple that is against iMessage, for example, running under Android for fear of losing users.
Rules against tech monopolies
The text was voted in favor but was pending approval in the European Parliament.
The technological ones have a term of half a year for its implementation.
“The new rules will help enforce that basic principle. The time for long antitrust cases is over. Those during which the authorities lagged behind the big technology companies. Europe is thus ensuring more competition, more innovation and more choice for users”, Andreas Schwab MEP said in his speech.
The penalties for violating the rules can reach up to 10% of the annual global turnover in the case of first offenses and up to 20% in the case of repeated violations.
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