EU agrees on new digital rules to rein in Big Tech dominance

The European Union set the stage for a stepped-up crackdown on big tech companies with an agreement on landmark digital rules to rein in online 'gatekeepers' such as Google and Facebook parent Meta.

EU officials agreed late Thursday on wording for the bloc's Digital Markets Act, part of a long-awaited overhaul of its digital rulebook. The act, which still needs other approvals, seeks to prevent tech giants from dominating digital markets, with the threat of whopping fines or even the possibility of a company breakup.

For instance, they face tighter restrictions on using people's data for targeted online ads -- a primary source of revenue for Google and Facebook -- while different messaging services or social media platforms would be required to work together.

The new rules underscore how Europe has become a global pacesetter in efforts to curb the power of tech companies through an onslaught of antitrust investigations, stringent regulations on data privacy and proposed rules for areas like artificial intelligence.

"What we have been deciding about yesterday will start a new era in tech regulation," the European Union's lead lawmaker Andreas Schwab, said at a press conference Friday.