Tech giants branded online ‘gatekeepers’ in next phase of EU’s digital crackdown

The companies now have six months to start complying with the Digital Markets Act’s requirements (Picture: Jenny Kane/AP)

The European Union has targeted Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, Facebook owner Meta and TikTok parent ByteDance under new digital rules aimed at reining in the market power of online companies.

The six companies were classed as online “gatekeepers” that must face the highest level of scrutiny under the 27-nation bloc’s Digital Markets Act.