The European Commission has launched three investigations into cloud services under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), with the Dutch Autoriteit Consument & Markt ACM) as the national regulator working closely together in a joint investigation team. This is the first time the two agencies have joined forces in this way to tackle abuse of power and obstacles in the digital market.
The DMA must force the largest digital platforms, known as "gatekeepers," to be more open and honest. The ultimate goal is to protect entrepreneurs and consumers and give them more choice in the digital world. The DMA also creates more growth opportunities for businesses and provides the ability to impose fines if gatekeepers violate rules.
One of the pillars of the ongoing research is removing barriers to switching between different cloud players, promoting interoperability, improving access to data for business users, and looking critically at bundling services. By reducing these obstacles, European companies can more easily enter the cloud market and compete with the big international tech players.
ACM is calling on businesses and consumers to report any violations of DMA rules by gatekeepers immediately. Alerts can be submitted through ACM's website. This keeps the watchdog vigilant and allows for quick action when abuses occur.
