Under the Digital Markets Act, Google isn’t just another vendor — it’s one of seven dominant platforms, deemed «gatekeepers» to other services. That means it has to behave like a platform, like Windows, and offer equal access to its services.
The European Commission lists letting competing AI assistants have easy access to functions like sending emails, sharing and editing photos — and have system level access to control apps. It should also provide Android API access and support for free, they say.
Unwarranted intervention?
Google says that «This unwarranted intervention would strip away autonomy, mandate access to sensitive hardware and device permissions; unnecessarily driving up costs while undermining critical privacy and security protections for European users,» according to Ars Technica, and is clearly not happy with the proposals.
The EU started a preliminary investigation in January, and is now opening the process for public comments. This should finish by May 13th, and the Commission should rule six months after that. Failure to comply with their decision could cost dearly, the DMA says the EU can impose fines of up to 10% of «gatekeepers’» revenue.
Read more: Statement by the European Commission, Ars Technica, and Slashdot.