The European Union on Monday, March 25, announced the launch of an investigation into such technology giants as Apple, Alphabet, and Meta.

The mentioned probe is notable because it is the first such action under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

The European Commission on Monday announced the launch of an investigation into compliance with DMA standards during the implementation of Alphabet’s rules on steering in Google Play and self-preferencing in the Internet search system of this technology giant. The regulator will also check to what extent Apple’s actions on rules on steering in the App Store and the choice screen for Safari are consistent with EU legislation. As for the investigation into Meta, in this case, the attention of the European Commission will be directed to the specifics of the functioning of the so-called pay or consent model.

In the context of checking the activities of Alphabet and Apple, the actions of the regulator will relate to the so-called anti-steering rules. In this case, the DMA norm is implied, according to which technology companies should not prohibit other firms from informing users about cheaper product options or the possibility of subscribing outside a large online app store.

The EU competition chief, Margrethe Vestager, said during a press conference on Monday that the practice of implementing the rules of the mentioned law in the corporate space of Apple and Alphabet seems to contradict the DMA. In this context, she noted that the specified tech giants continue to charge various recurring fees and still limit steering.

As part of the investigation into Meta, the European Commission will pay attention to whether the pay or consent model presented last year in the EU is a violation of the DMA. Facebook and Instagram ad-free subscription models are meant in this case.

As we have reported earlier, US Sues Apple.