Türkiye is planning new rules to rein in the dominance of big tech companies, modeled after the European Union's regulatory approach, but risking retaliation from the United States. The bill, which will soon be introduced to Congress, would require tech companies such as Apple, Alphabet Inc's Google, MetaPlatforms, Microsoft Corp and Amazon.com Inc to not favor their services in search engines, app stores or marketplaces.
The bill has the support of the ruling party and was developed in cooperation with Türkiye’s antitrust agency.
Failure to comply with the bill could result in fines of up to 10% of a company's annual revenue, the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue, added.
The move comes amid rising tensions between the United States and the European Union over digital regulations. The EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), enacted in May 2023, aims to curb anti-competitive behavior by imposing obligations on "gatekeeper" platforms. Türkiye's proposal is in line with the EU's approach but risks straining the country's trade relations with Washington.
US President Donald Trump has strongly criticized the EU's DMA, calling it "overseas extortion" against US technology companies. He responded by threatening tariffs.
Under the proposal, closed ecosystems such as Apple would have to allow users to install third-party apps from outside their platforms, the officials said. In Apple's case, this means allowing downloads to iPhones and iPads from outside the App Store, similar to how Google allows sideloading on Android devices.
The bill would also restrict platforms from processing user data without explicit consent and limit how platforms can use data for commercial purposes. In addition, technology companies must provide clear information to business users (such as app developers, advertisers and marketplace sellers) about the scope of services, performance and pricing.
The proposal still needs to be revised before enactment, and its final terms may change during the legislative process.