On Wednesday, the European Commission designated six “gatekeepers” for regulation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Four out of five of the targeted companies – which include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft – are U.S. firms. None are European.

Qualifying companies will face limits on what services they can provide on their platforms, the hosting of third-party apps, and the treatment of consumer data. Prior to the DMA’s passage, the Biden Administration repeatedly voiced concerns that the bloc’s new regulations would unfairly target American companies while exempting European competitors.

“This is modern-day protectionism, which is going to have job-killing consequences for the American tech sector,” said Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. “Imagine if the Biden Administration had singled out Louis Vuitton and Prada for regulation while exempting Kate Spade and Coach. Since day one, European regulators have been just as obvious about their intent to use the DMA as a shield against U.S. competitors.”

Before proposing the DMA, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote that regulations should transition tech platforms to be European “by design and nature.” Similarly, DMA champion and Executive Vice President of the EU Commission Margrethe Vestager called for the bloc to create an opening for the EU’s tech sector by effectively blocking international competitors. And French President Emmanuel Macron has championed the effort as a “technological sovereignty” measure.

Last year, Chamber of Progress released polling on American voter attitudes towards the DMA. The poll found that a plurality of Democratic voters (38%) would like to see the Biden Administration work with European policymakers to reduce the impact of the act on US workers and companies, while a plurality of Republicans (35%) would like to see the president impose retaliatory regulations against European companies.

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Chamber of Progress (progresschamber.org) is a center-left tech industry policy coalition promoting technology’s progressive future.  We work to ensure that all Americans benefit from technological leaps, and that the tech industry operates responsibly and fairly.  

Our corporate partners do not have a vote on or veto over our positions. We do not speak for individual partner companies and remain true to our stated principles even when our partners disagree.