Following recent decisions by the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) concerning Apple and Google, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) has voiced concerns about the potential implications of these actions. Joseph V. Coniglio, director of antitrust and innovation at ITIF, expressed his views on the matter.
Coniglio stated that the European Commission is enforcing the DMA in a way that resembles "de facto public utility regulation" with little consideration for consumers or innovation. He highlighted that measures requiring Apple to treat third-party connected device rivals equally could lead to "unreasonable compliance burdens," reducing consumer privacy and security while stifling innovation from Apple and its competitors.
Regarding Google, Coniglio pointed out that the Commission's continued scrutiny on issues like self-preferencing might not fully acknowledge Google's efforts to comply with regulations. He noted that such enforcement overlooks harmful effects already impacting users, hotels, and other stakeholders due to the DMA.
The ITIF statement also mentioned potential reactions from the Trump administration in response to what it perceives as unfair exploitation of American innovation by these EU regulations. Coniglio emphasized the importance of U.S.-EU cooperation in digital markets to address challenges posed by China and urged for a more balanced approach to competition enforcement in Europe.
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