Forced to change: Tech giants bow to the global onslaught of regulations

For decades, Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta have moved forward with few rules and limits. As their power, wealth and reach increased, there was a groundswell of regulatory activity, legislation and lawsuits against them in Europe, the United States, China, India, Canada, South Korea and Australia. Now the global tipping point for reining in the biggest tech companies has finally turned.

The companies have been forced to change the everyday technology they offer, including devices and features of their social media services, which is especially noticeable for users in Europe. The companies are also making consistent shifts that are less visible, for example in their business models, deal making and data sharing.

The degree of change is clearly visible at Apple. While the Silicon Valley company once offered its App Store as a unified marketplace around the world, it now has different rules for App Store developers in South Korea, the European Union and the United States due to new laws and court rulings. The company dropped its own iPhone charger design due to another EU law, meaning future iPhones will have a charger that works with non-Apple devices.

The changes mean that people’s technological experiences will increasingly differ depending on where they live. In Europe, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat users under the age of 18 will no longer see ads based on their personal data, the result of a 2022 law called the Digital Services Act. Elsewhere in the world, young people still see such advertisements on those platforms.

The technology industry is maturing and becoming more like banking, automotive and healthcare, with companies tailoring their products and services to local laws and regulations, says Greg Taylor, a professor at the University of Oxford who focuses on competition in technology markets.