Digital Regulations: Microsoft Corporation’s search engine Bing, Edge web browser and advertising services are likely to be exempt from EU’s antitrust rules for not being “dominant enough” to be hit by the regulation, as per reports.

As part of the strict new European Union antitrust rules controlling Big Tech platforms, European Commission officials are inclined for pausing and going easy on the US software giant, as part of a five-month market investigation ending in February, Bloomberg reported quoting people in the know. 

The push for the Washington-headquartered technology giant comes after reports of officials having already opted against another American tech giant, Apple Inc.’s iMessage service in accordance with its new Digital Markets Act, coming in effect from March this year.

The political and economic unit of 27 European nations brought in the Digital Markets Act strikes at the epicentre of the business models of six of the world’s most powerful technology firms, which are also deemed to be digital “gatekeepers.” 

Even as some services being exempt comes as a respite for these tech giants, Microsoft, Apple and Meta Platforms Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Amazon.com Inc. and TikTok owner ByteDance Ltd. stand to face a raft of new obligations that are targeted at preventing them from abusing their dominance in other parts of their business. 

Windows, the PC operating system for Microsoft, as well as job hunt and workplace networking platform LinkedIn are in the ambit of these regulations, which prohibit the giants from favouring their own services over rivals.

 For Apple, its iOS mobile operating system, App Store and Safari browser are under regulation, to avoid misusing their position and use data collected from third-party merchants for competing against them.

The platforms must also allow for the download of apps from rival platforms. 

Apple, Meta and ByteDance have filed challenges in court against the EU’s decision to assign them or some of their services under the DMA.