Platform Regulation (DMA/DSA)
The EU reins in digital gatekeepers with the DMA (market power) and DSA (content); fines so far include EUR 890 million against Google.
Open in the interactive tree →The Digital Markets Act (applicable since 2 May 2023, obligations from 6 March 2024) binds seven gatekeepers (Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Booking, ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft). The Digital Services Act (fully applicable since 17 February 2024) demands transparency and risk assessment from very large platforms.
As of October 2026
April 2025: first DMA fines against Apple (EUR 500 million) and Meta (EUR 200 million). 5 December 2025: first DSA fine, EUR 120 million against X for deceptive verification checkmarks, an incomplete ad repository and obstacles for researchers. In 2026 the Commission fined Temu EUR 200 million (28 May) and AliExpress EUR 550 million (20 July) under the DSA, and on 23 July Google EUR 890 million under the DMA (EUR 460 million for self-preferencing in search, EUR 430 million for Play Store steering rules). Since 29 October 2025 the DSA data-access rules for researchers apply.
Open steps
- Auditing platform moderation consistency Medium AI leverageDevelop auditing methods to test whether platforms fairly apply policies across users and languages.
- Data portability and interop Medium AI leverageDevelop APIs and formats so competing platforms can interoperate without monopoly gatekeeping.
- Auditing recommendation algos Medium AI leverageEstablish independent auditing labs that test platform recommendations for bias and filter-bubble effects.
Where AI could help
Low AI leverage. Enforcement speed depends on staffing, legal appeals and political choices; AI helps with screening and audits at the margins.
- Automated screening of ad repositories and transparency reports for gaps
- Algorithm audits with simulated user accounts
- Document triage and translation for investigations of very large platforms
Prerequisites
- Constitutions & Checks on Power1787
- Competition Law (Sherman Act)1890The Digital Markets Act applies competition-law logic to digital gatekeepers
- European Integration1951DMA and DSA are EU regulations made by its single-market institutions
- Behavioral Economics1979DSA limits on manipulative interface design draw on behavioural economics
- Platform Economy1995-2009
- Web search and PageRank1998Google Search is a designated DMA gatekeeper service
- Social Media & Algorithmic Feeds2004-2012The DSA targets very large social platforms and the ranking of their feeds
- Data Protection (GDPR)2018The DSA and DMA build on GDPR enforcement experience
Unlocks
Sources
More in Society, Economy & Law · Present
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