European Union Intensifies Antitrust Pressure on Tech Giants Google, Apple, Meta, and X (formerly Twitter). These global Big Tech companies have shaken the world and built the digital economy. However, their extensive market dominance has long been a headache for global regulatory bodies like the European Union (EU). Having set 2026 as a top priority for antitrust enforcement, Europe has recently imposed strong checks on corporate behavior through the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA). What has driven Europe to the forefront of Big Tech regulation? And how will these changes impact the Korean IT industry? Through the new regulatory frameworks of the DMA and DSA, the European Union is strongly pushing for fairness in the digital economy and the protection of user rights. These laws specifically target companies abusing their market-dominant positions and are preparing to impose new non-compliance measures and fines on several major tech companies, including Google for its search engine and ad tech monopolies, Meta for blocking AI development competitors, Apple for App Store restrictions, and X (formerly Twitter) for its content moderation practices. Throughout 2025, Apple was fined 500 million euros and Meta 200 million euros, which not only represents economic sanctions but also symbolically demonstrates the EU's strong regulatory resolve. Furthermore, 2025 saw a record number of antitrust decisions, including five infringement decisions and five settlements. The European Commission emphasizes that these measures are essential for maintaining market fairness and protecting consumer rights. The EU is meticulously reviewing each case, such as Google's search engine and ad tech monopolies, Meta's blocking of AI competitive activities, and Apple's App Store restrictions, reinforcing its commitment to improving market structure. Currently, EU antitrust investigations into Google's and Meta's AI-related practices are in full swing, and 13 separate investigations are simultaneously underway at the member state level, indicating a broad expansion of the regulatory scope. However, the EU's regulatory strengthening is not limited to traditional antitrust measures. Recently, regulations related to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology have emerged as a major topic. In particular, the latest regulatory issues across the tech industry are focused on Google's and Meta's AI usage practices. Google's 'AI Overviews' is under investigation for allegedly using web publishers' content under unfair terms and exclusively utilizing YouTube content for AI training purposes. The European Commission expresses deep concern that AI is replacing journalistic and published content and eroding website traffic and revenue, especially when publishers do not have opt-out options or adequate compensation. This is not solely an issue for content providers. Concerns are being raised that AI models, in their use of websites, do not adequately compensate original content providers, but instead cause traffic reduction and revenue erosion. Meta is also facing similar criticism and pressure to resolve patent infringement issues and practices that block competitors during AI development. These AI-related regulations are expected to become more concrete through the European Commission's report on the nexus between AI and the DMA, scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2026. A new antitrust issue, algorithmic pricing, is also emerging. This issue centers on the real-time data sharing among competitors and subsequent price collusion. The European Competition Commission considers this an anti-competitive practice and has been conducting several antitrust cartel investigations related to algorithmic pricing since July 2025. In March 2026, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an official investigation into major global hotel chains like Hilton, IHG, and Marriott, along with hotel data analytics company STR, on suspicion of anti-competitive practices through information sharing. The focus of this investigation is to determine whether companies engaged in competitive price collusion through common data tools that share real-time commercially sensitive information. Regulatory Expansion into Algorithmic Price Collusion and AI Misuse The European Commission emphasizes that even if algorithms delegate part of decision-making to software, companies must remain accountable for the actions of automated systems. This is likely to extend beyond the hotel industry to various sectors such as aviation, retail, and e-commerce. It is now time for South Korea to prepare for the potential emergence of similar issues. Amidst these developments, the United States has expressed strong opposition to EU regulations. The Trump administration, in particular, has taken the stance that the EU is unfairly targeting American tech companies to favor its own businesses, threatening retaliatory tariffs and showing signs o
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