EU proposes new rules to force Big Tech to share data

The European Union (EU) is reported to be preparing new rules that will force Big Tech companies to share their customer data with smaller rivals.

Citing an early draft of its landmark ‘Digital Services Act’ regulations, an FT articles says “The likes of Amazon and Google shall not use data collected on the platform …for (their) own commercial activities…unless they (make it) accessible to business users active in the same commercial activities.”

Google has pointed to a blog from earlier this month where it first detailed its response to the Act, supporting measures that allow users to move between platforms without losing access to their data.

“The question is not whether data mobility or data access should be facilitated, but how to achieve their benefits without sacrificing product quality or innovation incentives,” Google had said in the blog.

The Digital Services Act, which is expected by the end of this year, is the first big overhaul of the EU’s approach to regulating the internet for two decades. Brussels is hoping to set global standards for the digital economy and to tackle the entrenched advantages enjoyed by Big Tech.

EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager is threatening to announce tough new rules under the Act, aimed to increase social media companies’ responsibilities and liability for content on their platforms by the end of this year.

The draft suggests that Big Tech may be banned from preferential treatment of their own services on their sites or platforms, to the detriment of rivals, according to the report.

Companies should not be allowed to pre-install their own applications on hardware devices, such as laptops or phones, or force other companies to exclusively pre-install their software, it added.

In the United States, a government panel is expected to release a report into antitrust allegations against big tech companies as soon as Monday.