Interoperability

The Digital Markets Act addresses the market power of dominant digital platforms. The European Commission designates gatekeepers based on turnover, user thresholds, and market position in core platform services (search, social networks, messaging, app stores, advertising, cloud). Gatekeepers face specific obligations: they cannot combine personal data across services without consent, must allow third-party app installation and default settings changes, cannot rank their own products favorably, must provide advertisers with performance data, and must enable messaging interoperability. Business users get rights to access their data, use alternative payment systems, and receive fair treatment in rankings. The Commission can impose fines up to 10% of global turnover and, for systematic infringement, order structural remedies including forced divestiture.

The Data Act addresses the growing importance of non-personal data in the digital economy. It grants users of connected products (IoT devices, industrial machinery) the right to access data they generate and share it with third parties. Data holders must make data available in standardized formats. The Act also creates a framework for public bodies to request private sector data during emergencies like pandemics or natural disasters. For cloud services, it mandates interoperability standards and prohibits contractual barriers to switching providers. Organizations must implement technical measures to prevent unlawful international data transfers upon government requests from non-EU countries.