By Ben Emos | Sunday, August 4, 2024 | 4 min read
On July 12, 2024, the European Commission announced that X (formerly Twitter), owned by billionaire Elon Musk, had violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to its lack of transparency in advertising and inadequate data access for researchers. As a result, X could face a fine of up to 6% of its global turnover and be required to make significant operational changes unless it can successfully defend itself against these findings.
Thierry Breton, the EU’s industry chief, commented: “X has now the right of defence — but if our view is confirmed we will impose fines and require significant changes.” This investigation is part of a broader EU effort to ensure compliance with digital regulations among major tech companies.
Other tech giants, including ByteDance’s TikTok, AliExpress, and Meta Platforms, are also under investigation for potential violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The EU’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, indicated that solutions proposed by these companies might not fully comply with the DMA, prompting further scrutiny to ensure open and contestable digital markets in Europe.
In a related case, Apple was fined €1.8 billion (£1.5 billion) by the EU for breaching competition laws related to its music streaming services. This fine came after Spotify criticized Apple for its control over payments and the 30% fee imposed on the App Store. Vestager accused Apple of illegally preventing developers from informing consumers about cheaper alternatives outside the Apple ecosystem. Apple has since appealed the fine.
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