EU skewers Google, Apple over tech rules — despite Trump threats
By AFP
March 19, 2025
Google's original principles when it came to developing artificial intelligence were not to use it for weapons or surveillance that could infringe on people's rights. — © AFP GREG BAKER
Raziye Akkoc
The European Union defied US threats of retaliation Wednesday by accusing Google of violating its digital rules — which could trigger hefty fines — and ordering Apple to make its iPhone interact better with rivals’ devices.
The moves risk opening up a new front in the already fraught relationship between the EU and President Donald Trump, who has taken a hard line against the bloc’s tech laws and warned he will hit back against any fines on American firms.
The European Union hit the tech titans with decisions under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law that forces the world’s biggest digital companies to open up to competition in the 27-country EU, but it has faced strong criticism from its targets.
Apple and Google responded that the EU risked European users’ security and its moves would hinder innovation.
The European Commission informed Google parent Alphabet in a “preliminary view” that its search engine treated its own services more favourably compared to rivals.
It also in a separate preliminary view said the Google Play app store prevented developers from steering customers outside the store to access cheaper deals.
“Both practices negatively impact many European and non-European businesses that rely on Google Search or Google Play to reach their users in the EU,” the bloc’s digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, said in a statement.
Google swiftly hit back, saying the EU’s decision “will hurt European businesses and consumers, hinder innovation, weaken security, and degrade product quality”.
Google can now defend itself but if the finding is confirmed, the law gives the EU the power to impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s total global turnover.
This can rise to up to 20 percent for repeat offenders.
– Apple chews out EU –
The commission, the EU’s digital watchdog, separately told Apple to enhance the compatibility of its iPhone with competitors’ products, including headphones and smartwatches.
“Effective interoperability for third-party connected devices is an important step towards opening Apple’s ecosystem. This will lead to a better choice for consumers,” the EU’s competition chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement.
Apple has accused the EU of putting users’ security and privacy at risk with the law but the commission has repeatedly rejected the claim.
“Today’s decisions wrap us in red tape, slowing down Apple’s ability to innovate for users in Europe and forcing us to give away our new features for free to companies who don’t have to play by the same rules,” Apple said.
“It’s bad for our products and for our European users,” it said, adding that it would continue to share its concerns with the EU.
Apple has also faced scrutiny over its closed ecosystem in the United States as part of a wide-ranging monopoly case launched last year before Trump’s victory.
US prosecutors accused Apple of making it hard for its users to interact easily with Android phone users and with rival smartwatches.
– Risking Trump’s ire –
Apple and Facebook owner Meta faced similar accusations to Google last year, with expectations that they will be slapped with fines — although the EU has been wary following Trump’s description of the bloc’s penalties as a form of taxation.
Trump went even further last month and said he would consider actions such as tariffs in response to digital services taxes, fines, and policies imposed on US firms.
Big Tech has cosied up to Trump since his victory in November.
Billionaire and X platform owner Elon Musk is a key ally while Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg in January called on Trump to act to defend American tech firms from EU penalties.
The EU created the DMA law after years of fines against abusive Big Tech behaviour, establishing a list of do’s and don’ts that would avoid long competition probes.
By AFP
March 19, 2025
Google's original principles when it came to developing artificial intelligence were not to use it for weapons or surveillance that could infringe on people's rights. — © AFP GREG BAKER
Raziye Akkoc
The European Union defied US threats of retaliation Wednesday by accusing Google of violating its digital rules — which could trigger hefty fines — and ordering Apple to make its iPhone interact better with rivals’ devices.
The moves risk opening up a new front in the already fraught relationship between the EU and President Donald Trump, who has taken a hard line against the bloc’s tech laws and warned he will hit back against any fines on American firms.
The European Union hit the tech titans with decisions under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law that forces the world’s biggest digital companies to open up to competition in the 27-country EU, but it has faced strong criticism from its targets.
Apple and Google responded that the EU risked European users’ security and its moves would hinder innovation.
The European Commission informed Google parent Alphabet in a “preliminary view” that its search engine treated its own services more favourably compared to rivals.
It also in a separate preliminary view said the Google Play app store prevented developers from steering customers outside the store to access cheaper deals.
“Both practices negatively impact many European and non-European businesses that rely on Google Search or Google Play to reach their users in the EU,” the bloc’s digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, said in a statement.
Google swiftly hit back, saying the EU’s decision “will hurt European businesses and consumers, hinder innovation, weaken security, and degrade product quality”.
Google can now defend itself but if the finding is confirmed, the law gives the EU the power to impose fines of up to 10 percent of a company’s total global turnover.
This can rise to up to 20 percent for repeat offenders.
– Apple chews out EU –
The commission, the EU’s digital watchdog, separately told Apple to enhance the compatibility of its iPhone with competitors’ products, including headphones and smartwatches.
“Effective interoperability for third-party connected devices is an important step towards opening Apple’s ecosystem. This will lead to a better choice for consumers,” the EU’s competition chief Teresa Ribera said in a statement.
Apple has accused the EU of putting users’ security and privacy at risk with the law but the commission has repeatedly rejected the claim.
“Today’s decisions wrap us in red tape, slowing down Apple’s ability to innovate for users in Europe and forcing us to give away our new features for free to companies who don’t have to play by the same rules,” Apple said.
“It’s bad for our products and for our European users,” it said, adding that it would continue to share its concerns with the EU.
Apple has also faced scrutiny over its closed ecosystem in the United States as part of a wide-ranging monopoly case launched last year before Trump’s victory.
US prosecutors accused Apple of making it hard for its users to interact easily with Android phone users and with rival smartwatches.
– Risking Trump’s ire –
Apple and Facebook owner Meta faced similar accusations to Google last year, with expectations that they will be slapped with fines — although the EU has been wary following Trump’s description of the bloc’s penalties as a form of taxation.
Trump went even further last month and said he would consider actions such as tariffs in response to digital services taxes, fines, and policies imposed on US firms.
Big Tech has cosied up to Trump since his victory in November.
Billionaire and X platform owner Elon Musk is a key ally while Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg in January called on Trump to act to defend American tech firms from EU penalties.
The EU created the DMA law after years of fines against abusive Big Tech behaviour, establishing a list of do’s and don’ts that would avoid long competition probes.
By AFP
March 20, 2025
'Assassin's Creed Shadows' is highly anticipated by gamers who have long sought an episode set in feudal Japan - Copyright AFP/File NICHOLAS KAMM, Handout
Kilian FICHOU and Tom BARFIELD
Thursday’s release of action-adventure epic “Assassin’s Creed Shadows” marks a make-or-break moment not just for struggling French games heavyweight Ubisoft, but for the entire European gaming ecosystem.
With its almost 18,000 employees and global footprint, Ubisoft has nevertheless suffered one setback after another in recent years with disappointing releases, a dwindling stock price, harassment allegations against former bosses and repeated strikes.
The company is falling back on its longtime major money-spinner “Assassin’s Creed” to pull it from the doldrums, this time with an episode set in medieval Japan.
“I’ve never seen things this way” as the whole European industry looks to Ubisoft, Midcap Partners analyst Charles-Louis Planade told AFP ahead of the launch.
More than 17 Ubisoft studios employing hundreds have poured five years of work into “Shadows”, with an estimated budget running into hundreds of millions of euros.
Early reviews have been positive, with the game receiving a “generally favourable” score of 81/100 on review aggregation site Metacritic.
That was one point higher than “Valhalla”, the 2020 release that has so far been the high point of the series’ profitability.
The latest instalment “looks better and plays better than nearly any other entry in Ubisoft’s 18-year old series”, American games journalist Stephen Totilo wrote on his website Game File.
Meanwhile gaming site IGN’s review of “Shadows” said it “sharpens and refines (the series’) edge without fully reforging it”.
– Fingers crossed –
A lack of major changes to the game’s mechanics could risk “leaving some players worn out”, said Julien Pillot, an economist specialising in the cultural industries.
He suggested that Ubisoft’s recent underwhelming releases “may be a sign that audiences are falling out of love with its games”.
Nevertheless, Planade said that “everyone is crossing their fingers for this release to be a huge success”.
He said a poor sales showing could provoke a knock-on effect across the entire industry, noting that in France alone, Ubisoft accounts for almost one-third of the country’s 15,000 jobs in games development
Many budding creators pass through Ubisoft after completing their training, while former employees have founded new studios in France and around the world.
The company in 2023 launched a cost-cutting drive including studio closures and almost 2,000 layoffs.
– Uncertain future –
The belt-tightening did not save Ubisoft from judgement on financial markets, with the stock falling from more than 100 euros ($109 at today’s rates) ten years ago to its all-time low of 9.01 euros in September.
Ubisoft shares had fallen almost 5.6 percent on Wednesday to trade at 12.60 euros by the time markets closed, despite the good early reviews for “Shadows”.
Even before release of the hoped-for blockbuster, Ubisoft said it was “actively exploring various strategic and capitalistic options” for its future.
Early rumours suggested that could involve going private with help from Chinese tech giant Tencent, a major investor that holds ten percent of Ubisoft.
More recently, multiple outlets have reported the group could sell off much of its games catalogue to focus on its core titles.
“Every option is on the table” for Ubisoft’s future, Planade said, with commercial success for “Shadows” likely to strengthen Ubisoft’s hand in the negotiations.
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