American software company focused on online privacy, DuckDuckGo has nudged the European Union to look in depth on its Digital Markets Act (DMA) probe into Google on the basis of reportedly not following multiple provisions which the bloc has not yet formally examined the company's compliance.

This year, Google and a few other tech companies have been in the hotwaters of EU's main market contestability law.

It is said that the cost of violating DMA regulations that require, for example, platform access on FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) terms could amount to as much as 10 percent of global yearly sales.
This rule is a must for big techs to follow.

The Commission is pursuing non-compliance actions, including a probe into Google's self-preferencing, which began in late March, and has laid out other concerns against DMA gatekeepers.

However, in contrast to other Commission actions against Apple and Meta, where the EU obtained preliminary infringement findings this summer, the EU's DMA investigation of the search giant has not resulted in any additional public statements.

The EU may not be progressing as fast as some had planned due to resource constraints.

Since the DMA imposes a set of upfront regulations on tech firms that fall within its purview, it is an ex ante competition reform that some had even predicted could be self-executing (i.e., eliminating the need for regulatory enforcement).

Although platforms have made a number of modifications this year that they say are in line with the DMA, many of their rivals are not impressed, accusing Big Tech of using showmanship to try to avoid truly adhering to the law's spirit and increasing pressure on the Commission to step in.

In contrast, the EU lacks the resources necessary to carry out this centralized enforcement.