Digital Markets Act
The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is an EU regulation for very large online platforms. It obliges so-called gatekeepers to offer fair conditions.
What is the Digital Markets Act?
The Digital Markets Act is a regulation of the European Union with the number (EU) 2022/1925. It has applied since May 2023 and is aimed at very large online platforms that are an important gateway to customers for other businesses. The European Commission designates these companies as gatekeepers. Affected are, for example, operating systems, app stores, search engines, social networks and large messengers.
What the DMA requires
Gatekeepers may not favour their own offerings and may not combine data from different services without consent. They must allow pre-installed apps to be removed, apps from other sources to be installed and default settings to be changed easily. Large messengers must open up to other messenger services on request, initially for text messages between two people. Violations can lead to fines of up to ten per cent of worldwide annual turnover.
What it means for you
On the gatekeepers' devices and platforms you get more choice: choice screens for browser and search engine, alternative app sources and the option to use services separately from one another. Smaller providers get easier access to the users of large platforms. The DMA complements the Digital Services Act: one governs fair competition, the other the handling of content. The gatekeeper obligations do not apply to small and medium-sized services.
On Friendstime
Friendstime is not one of the gatekeepers designated by the European Commission; the DMA's obligations are aimed at very large platforms. Friendstime has no interface to other messengers – there are no chat bridges to external services. You can export your profile, your posts and your comments as a JSON file in the settings on the web. You download the Android app as an APK file directly from the Friendstime website.
Frequently asked questions
Who is a gatekeeper?
Companies that the European Commission has designated because of their size and market power. The first, in 2023, included Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta and Microsoft.
What is the difference between the DMA and the DSA?
The DMA governs competition and the power of very large platforms. The DSA governs how online services deal with illegal content, reports and transparency.
Will I soon be able to reach everyone from any messenger?
Not automatically. The obligation to open up applies only to large messengers, and other services have to request and implement the connection themselves.
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