Euroviews. The EU's Digital Markets Act is a double-edged sword

The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) should have been a game-changer in Europe's quest to tame the titans of cyberspace. 

However, now that the DMA has come into force, it looks set to stumble into the same pitfalls as past EU endeavours. 

Brussels has once again cast too wide a regulatory net, strangling competition and innovation and leaving consumers scratching their heads in frustration.

The EU hopes cracking down on tech giants, the gatekeepers of our digital world, will open the floodgates to competition, innovation, and better deals for consumers. But history tells a different tale. 

We have witnessed countless instances where EU overregulation has crippled competitiveness across industries, including GDPR, electric vehicles, AI regulations, and many more. 

Wielding more far-reaching regulations like the DMA in the battle against big tech could cut both ways, becoming a double-edged sword with unintended consequences.

The EU Digital Markets Act has its sights set squarely on major US tech titans like Apple, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft. 

These companies, designated as "gatekeepers", are now under scrutiny to ensure they play fair, refraining from giving their own services preferential treatment over competitors on their platforms.

Google, for example, can no longer push users into selecting its search engine by default on Android phones during setup. It must present alternatives. 

In one particularly stark example of the new rules, Google Maps is no longer directly accessible through Google Search, to the ire of many users who enjoyed the convenience of a clickable map appearing in their search results.

Apple services are also starting to look different in the EU thanks to new rules under the DMA. Apple is now