Infographic: The Six 'Gatekeepers' Regulated by the Digital Markets Act (2024)

FAQs

Who are the gatekeepers under the EU's Digital Markets Act? ›

The EU has designated six companies as gatekeepers, which it defines as large digital platforms providing “core” services like app stores, search engines, and web browsers. The DMA's restrictions apply to specific services within these companies: Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft.

6. The gatekeeper shall not restrict technically or otherwise the ability of end users to switch between, and subscribe to, different software applications and services that are accessed using the core platform services of the gatekeeper, including as regards the choice of Internet access services for end users.

The European Commission has today designated, for the first time, six gatekeepers - Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft - under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is a groundbreaking European law designed to rein in the power of the gatekeepers of the digital economy. The European Commission believes that keeping the big internet companies in check can lead to more competition and choice, greater innovation, better quality, and lower prices.

Compliance with Digital Markets Act obligations

Gatekeepers have a responsibility to ensure their compliance with the obligations set out in the DMA, but also with third parties connected to their platforms and services. They must establish a compliance function that is independent from their operational functions.

What are digital gatekeepers? Digital gatekeepers can be defined as digital intermediaries that are difficult to bypass. They are platforms in the sense that their business models are based on network effects, data-analysis and scope-economies.

Article Six of the United States Constitution establishes the laws and treaties of the United States made in accordance with it as the supreme law of the land, forbids a religious test as a requirement for holding a governmental position, and holds the United States under the Constitution responsible for debts incurred ...

The gatekeepers designated under the Digital Markets Act mostly include American "Big Tech" companies (Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft).

1. The originator, sponsor or original lender of a securitisation shall retain on an ongoing basis a material net economic interest in the securitisation of not less than 5 %.

The enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA) includes a full set of investigative and sanctioning measures that can be taken by national authorities and the Commission.

What is the Digital Markets Act moving from competition law to regulation for large gatekeepers? ›

1(1) DMA reads: The purpose of this Regulation is to contribute to the proper functioning of the internal market by laying down harmonised rules ensuring for all businesses, contestable and fair markets in the digital sector across the Union where gatekeepers are present, to the benefit of business users and end users.

Public authorities, such as HSE, are responsible for monitoring the safety and conformity of products against product supply law. This is an activity known as market surveillance.

The regulation entered into force on November 1, 2022 – with the rules applied after a six-month adjustment period – the Digital Markets Law specifies characteristics to identify digital market access gatekeepers and their obligations.

Tech giants targeted by the Digital Markets Act (DMA) — a law passed in 2022 aiming to make the tech industry less monopolistic — are required to remove unfair competitive advantages that have let them dominate their respective markets by March 6th. But some experts believe the status quo is unlikely to shift.

The Digital Markets Act is a new EU (European Union) law coming into effect on March 6th. It defines some large digital platforms, such as Google, as “gatekeepers” and puts measures to control how much power these companies have, preventing them from having way too much control over the market.

In September 2023, the European Commission designated six gatekeepers – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft – that are providing 22 core platform services which meet the criteria to be regulated under the DMA.

The status of gatekeeper under the DMA is defined as an undertaking that provides a core platform service included in the list of art. 2 of the DMA and meets the market power of art.

For the Digital Markets Act, the EU empowered the Brussels-based European Commission to lead enforcement. The Commission now must build a staff that understands complicated technologies and fast-moving markets.

The Digital Markets Act (DMA) affects not only gatekeepers, but also small businesses that use their services. It is critical for small business owners to understand the requirements of the DMA and comply with the rules set by gatekeepers as a result of this legislation.