Microsoft and Apple seek exclusion of Bing and Messages from EU's 'gatekeeper' list

Microsoft and Apple are reportedly making efforts to exclude Bing and Messages from a list of gatekeepers that would be subject to new European regulations. The European Union's Digital Markets Act aims to mitigate monopoly within the tech industry and foster competitive practices. Part of this initiative involves identifying 'gatekeepers', services that could potentially hinder other market participants.

Microsoft and Apple are independently arguing that their services, Bing and Messages, are not sufficiently large or influential to warrant the restrictions imposed by the Digital Markets Act. The European Commission is expected to release a list of identified gatekeepers on September 6th, which will include several big names and products in the tech industry.

Microsoft contends that giving Bing users the option to use Google would only increase Google's market share, in a sector where Bing only has a 3 percent stake. Similarly, Apple is defending that Messages does not reach the user threshold and therefore should not be categorized in the same list as Meta's WhatsApp.

Despite these arguments, it is likely that other aspects of Apple and Microsoft's businesses could be included in the EU's list, even if Bing and Messages are excluded.