Apple and Google can now add the UK to the ever-growing list of countries and regions ramping up regulatory scrutiny. Here’s what happened.
Apple and Google designated as having ‘strategic market status‘
The UK is gearing up to start enforcing its new Digital Markets, Competition, and Consumers Act (DMCC), a law aimed at reining in dominant tech platforms. And today, as reported by CNBC:
“(…) the Competition and Markets Authority proposed designating the U.S. tech giants as having a ‘strategic market status’ or SMS, after opening an investigation into the matter in January.
This designation is given to a large company that has ‘substantial and entrenched market power’ and a ‘position of strategic significance’ with respect to a digital activity in the U.K.”
As 9to5Mac readers will remember, earlier this year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened formal investigations into Apple and Google. In Apple’s case, it was the second attempt, after the original probe was dropped in August last year, due to a missed deadline.
The DMCC is the UK’s version of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA)
The DMCC closely mirrors many of the EU’s DMA provisions, including a prohibition on self-preferencing, a ban on ‘anti-steering’ rules for off-platform payment methods, and strong interoperability and data portability requirements.
Interestingly, just yesterday, Reuters reported that the EU is set to accept Apple’s latest App Store rules under the DMA, which could offer Apple a blueprint on how to shape its strategy in the UK going forward.
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