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Short answer: The EU Digital Markets Act (DMA) is a competition framework for large digital platforms designated as “gatekeepers.” If your company sells, advertises, develops software for, or integrates with a covered service, the DMA may create rights to platform data, interoperability, advertising information, app distribution, and customer contact outside the platform. The exact right depends on the designated core platform service and your role in that service.
What is the EU Digital Markets Act?
The DMA is Regulation (EU) 2022/1925. It entered into force on 1 November 2022 and became applicable on 2 May 2023. Its purpose is to make important digital markets fairer and more contestable by imposing obligations and prohibitions on designated gatekeepers.
The rules complement EU competition law; they do not replace it. The regulation sets obligations in advance, while the European Commission can also investigate particular conduct and adopt case-specific decisions. A Commission proposal, preliminary view or ongoing regulatory dialogue is not the same as a final designation or infringement decision.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe duties generally attach to a gatekeeper’s designated core platform service, not automatically to every product offered by a large technology company. A business must therefore identify the precise service and its relationship with that service before relying on a DMA right.
Which companies are gatekeepers?
At the end of the Commission’s 2025 reporting period, seven companies were reported as gatekeepers with 23 designated core platform services. The list is a dated snapshot; designations and services can change. Check the Commission’s live Gatekeepers Portal for the current status.
| Gatekeeper | Examples of designated services reported by the Commission |
|---|---|
| Alphabet | Google Search, Google Play, Google Maps, YouTube and Android Mobile |
| Amazon | Amazon Marketplace and Amazon Advertising |
| Apple | App Store, iOS, Safari and iPadOS |
| Booking | Booking.com |
| ByteDance | TikTok |
| Meta | Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger and Meta Ads |
| Microsoft | LinkedIn and Windows PC OS |
The examples above are not a substitute for the portal’s service-level register. A company can be a gatekeeper for some services while other services remain outside the designation.
How does a company become a gatekeeper?
Quantitative thresholds create a rebuttable presumption, not an automatic final designation. The Commission also assesses whether the provider has a significant impact on the EU internal market, whether the service is an important gateway for business users to reach end users, and whether the provider holds an entrenched and durable position.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →| Indicator | Quantitative presumption |
|---|---|
| EU turnover | At least €7.5 billion in each of the last three financial years |
| Market value alternative | Average market capitalisation or fair market value of at least €75 billion |
| End users | At least 45 million monthly active end users in the EU for the relevant core platform service |
| Business users | At least 10,000 yearly active business users in the EU for that service |
The user thresholds are assessed over three financial years for the entrenched-position test. A provider can challenge the presumption, and the Commission can designate a service after a qualitative assessment even where the numerical presumption is not decisive. Large size alone does not mean that every company, service or feature is covered.
What must designated gatekeepers do?
The DMA’s “do’s” and “don’ts” are obligations on designated gatekeepers. They are not general duties imposed on every business operating in Europe.
Access to data generated through the platform
In specified situations, business users can obtain access to data they generate through their use of a gatekeeper’s service. The practical scope, format, authorisation requirements and technical method depend on the service and the applicable DMA obligation.
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Interoperability
Gatekeepers must allow third-party interoperability in situations covered by the regulation. This can matter to developers and businesses building compatible services, although security, privacy and technical conditions still apply.
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Advertising transparency
Advertisers and publishers are entitled to tools and information that help them independently verify advertising performance and understand relevant pricing or measurement data. The exact information available is service-specific.
Steering and contracts outside the platform
Businesses may, where the relevant obligation applies, promote offers and conclude contracts with customers outside a gatekeeper’s platform. The Commission also describes preventing consumers from linking to businesses outside the platform as an example of prohibited conduct.
Choice, uninstalling and ranking conduct
Examples of “don’ts” include self-preferencing in rankings and preventing users from uninstalling pre-installed software where the DMA prohibits that conduct. These rules address the gatekeeper’s design and conduct; they do not guarantee a particular ranking, download volume or commercial result for a business user.
How can a business use its DMA rights?
A company that sells through a marketplace, advertises on a covered service, publishes an app, builds an integration or communicates with customers through a designated platform should treat the process as a service-specific compliance question.
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- Map the dependency. Record the gatekeeper, exact core platform service, account or product involved, countries affected and whether your company is acting as a business user, developer, advertiser, publisher or end user.
- Define the requested outcome. State whether you need data access, data portability, interoperability, advertising information, app-distribution access, messaging functionality or permission to steer customers to an external offer.
- Check the official material. Use the Commission’s Business Portal for the relevant guide, API documentation and request form. The portal’s resource list is not exhaustive, so also review the gatekeeper’s service documentation and published implementation information.
- Submit a precise request. Identify the service, users, data fields or functionality sought, the business purpose, proposed safeguards and any time-sensitive impact. Keep copies of submissions and technical responses.
- Escalate an unresolved implementation concern. After checking the existing guidance, contact the Commission’s DMA team through the business channel. This is an official way to raise an implementation issue, not a promise that the Commission will order a particular commercial outcome.
- Check for conditions and limits. Confirm consent, authentication, security, privacy, format, rate limits and other technical requirements before changing your product or customer journey.
Do not assume that a right available for one service or user category automatically applies to another. The relevant DMA article, the gatekeeper’s implementation and the Commission’s current guidance control the result.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What enforcement powers does the Commission have?
“The European Commission is the sole enforcer of the DMA,” according to the Commission’s institutional overview. It can investigate suspected non-compliance, require information and adopt binding decisions.
- Fines can reach 10% of a company’s total worldwide annual turnover.
- For repeated infringements, the maximum can rise to 20% of worldwide annual turnover.
- Periodic penalty payments can reach 5% of average daily turnover.
- Systematic infringements can lead to proportionate additional behavioural or structural remedies.
These are statutory maximums, not automatic tariffs for every breach.
What is the latest DMA status in 2026?
Google non-compliance decisions announced in July 2026
On 23 July 2026, the Commission announced two Google non-compliance decisions. One concerned Google Search allegedly favouring Google’s own services over third parties; the other concerned restrictions on businesses steering Google Play users to alternative purchase channels. The Commission announced fines of €460 million and €430 million, €890 million in total. Those figures and findings should be attributed to the Commission’s announcement; they should not be presented as a court judgment or as proof of a known appeal outcome.
First DMA review
The Commission’s first review, required by 3 May 2026, reported changes including consent mechanisms, portability tools, choice screens and interoperability measures. Stakeholders also reported circumvention concerns, limited transparency and technical difficulties. The review identified cloud and artificial intelligence as priorities and did not propose changing the gatekeeper designation criteria.
Cloud services: preliminary, not final
On 25 June 2026, the Commission announced a preliminary view that Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure should be designated as gatekeepers for cloud computing services. A preliminary view is not a final designation. Verify the current Gatekeepers Portal status before describing either service as definitively covered.
A practical decision checklist
- Is the platform’s exact service listed as a designated core platform service?
- What is your legal and commercial role on that service?
- Which concrete DMA obligation matches the problem: data, interoperability, advertising information, distribution or steering?
- Is the matter governed by an obligation already in force, an implementation dialogue or only a preliminary position?
- Have you checked the Commission’s current Business Portal guidance and technical documentation?
- Can you document the request, the platform’s response and the business impact?
The DMA can open meaningful distribution, data and interoperability options, but it is not a universal right to platform access or a replacement for a tailored legal assessment. For a live dispute, identify the service and obligation precisely and use the Commission’s current materials or qualified counsel.
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