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Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) ended its investigation into Google and Apple’s app stores on Wednesday, but new laws that will give it more powers to rein in the dominance of big tech companies are likely to ensure the scrutiny continues.
Britain’s competition watchdog, which is charged with promoting competition and protecting consumers, has been investigating Google’s practices in distributing apps on Android devices, focusing in particular on rules requiring certain developers to use the Google Play billing system for in-app purchases.
British regulators are also conducting a similar investigation into Apple’s App Store, focusing on whether Apple is unfair in requiring developers to use its own billing system. After being fined in June for violating EU technology rules, Apple Changed Its policy in the European Union allows developers to communicate with customers outside the App Store.
However, CMA closure The British regulator said on its website that it stopped both investigations on Wednesday “due to administrative priorities”.
Meanwhile, China is preparing to implement new rules in the digital market that would give it greater power to address these issues and ensure fair competition.
“We engaged with the CMA for several months during its investigation. As part of that investigation, we made a number of significant commitments to further broaden the billing options available to developers on Google Play,” a Google spokesperson told Euractiv.
The spokesperson added: “Android has always offered flexibility and choice not available on other platforms, including multiple app stores and sideloading, and we provide continued and growing value to developers.”
Apple did not immediately respond to Euractiv’s request for comment.
According to Bloomberg, the CMA’s focus is expected to shift back to app stores, including the Play Store and the App Store. Report.
The UK agency also Planned Use The Independent said the new powers are designed to address concerns about fair competition in the app ecosystem and ensure better outcomes for developers and consumers.
“Once the new pro-competitive digital markets regime comes into force, we will be able to consider applying these new powers to the issues we have already identified through our existing work.” explain Will Hayter, executive director of digital markets at the CMA.
Height also stressed the importance of ensuring UK tech companies, including app developers, have access to a level playing field for the app ecosystem, which he said was essential to growing the sector, encouraging investment and benefiting UK consumers.
He added: “These are the factors we are considering before launching our first investigation under the new regime.”
The new rules are part of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Act (DMCCA), which came into effect in May and gives the CMA more powers to regulate tech giants.
The new rules give the CMA the power to designate companies as having a “strategic market position”, impose requirements on their conduct and impose hefty fines for non-compliance.
The CMA website also provides Public consultation The draft regulations under DMCCA are being consulted to seek feedback on how turnover should be estimated and how control of a company should be determined. The public consultation will close on 10 September.
Just on Tuesday (August 20), CMA Officially recognized Meta’s commitment to how it uses customer data in advertising has changed.
(Editing by Daniel Ek)
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