European Commission competition chief Margrethe Vestager reportedly outlined a proposal to broaden the scope of rules aimed at curbing the power of big technology companies, which could see more players facing tougher laws.
The rules were drafted as part of the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a major European offensive aimed at delivering fair competition by ensuring technology companies do not abuse their power.
It comes after a number of competition investigations mainly targeting the tech world’s big five, Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft.
The companies are on the hook as part of a campaign by MEP Andreas Schwab targeting companies with more that €10 billion(US$11.9billion) in European revenue in the last three years, or market value amounting to at least €100 billion.
Vestager believes the threshold should be lower, with her proposals aimed at companies with revenue of more than €6.5 billion or €65 billion in market value, as well as providing a core platform in at least three European Union member states.
She told Reuters the DMA was about companies “who have gatekeeping power” and the responsibility which comes with it.
Her proposal would impact around ten companies instead of just the big five, reported Reuters, but she added the plan wasn’t about a list of companies, rather what would constitute market power.
“It’s about market presence and the power you get from that market presence.” Vestager added she would be open to allowing national watchdogs to be given special powers to enforce laws under the DMA, following calls from French and German governments