A bipartisan group of lawmakers has written to U.S. President Joe Biden warning that European technology regulation could threaten U.S. interests. Under the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA), five major US technology companies - Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta and Microsoft - are designated as "gatekeeper" service providers.
Starting in March 2024, the companies, along with TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance, will be required to make their messaging apps interoperable with competitors and let users pre-select which apps they want pre-installed on their devices.
In a letter shared exclusively with Reuters, 21 members of the U.S. House of Representatives warned that the new rules could harm U.S. economic and security interests and called on Biden to ensure that the EU commits to fair enforcement of the rules.
"Ensuring our leadership in this space is critical to our economy and American workers," the letter said. "Designating leading American companies as 'gatekeepers' could upend the U.S. economy, undermine our global leadership in digital, and jeopardize consumer safety."