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With the March 6 deadline looming for major tech companies to comply with the European Union (EU)’s enforcement of its Digital Market Act (DMA), a new report claims that some of Microsoft’s apps and services will escape being regulated by the EU.
Bloomberg reports, via unnamed sources, that the EU is looking like it will exempt Microsoft’s Bing search engine, its Edge web browser, and its advertising services, from being held into account by the DMA. The sources stated that these services simply are not major forces in their respective tech categories to be regulated by the new EU tech rules.
That doesn’t give Microsoft a full hall pass on this matter. As we have reported before, Microsoft is making changes to its Windows 10 and 11 operating systems so they are safe from getting hit by DMA enforcement. That includes showing notable operating system components in the System Components, the ability to remove any app from the OS, and more interoperability points.
In addition one of Microsoft’s other services, the business-themed social network Linkedin, is also expected to make certain changes for the EU’s DMA, according to Bloomberg.
Last week, Google announced it would add new search and browser choice screens for Android phones in Europe as part of its own efforts to be in line with the DMA. The company will also make certain changes to its Search services in Europe, which include getting rid of Google Flights information.
Bloomberg also reported that Apple’s iMessage app may be labeled as being exempt from the DMA law, again due to its lower footprint in Europe compared to other messaging services. However, its looking likely that Apple may be forced to make changes to its iOS and iPad App Stores in Europe. That may include support for sideloading apps on Apple devices, but again just in the EU.
