The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is coming into effect soon in the European Union (EU) with six big tech firms, described as "gatekeepers", primarily being impacted. These include Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, meta, and Microsoft. The aforementioned firms have already started implementing changes to their affected services in anticipation of the law, and now, Google has shared some ways in which it is improving its compliance status in accordance with the DMA.
In a blog post, Google announced that it will soon introduce more choice screens on Android, Chrome on the desktop, and Chrome on iOS. These will allow you to quickly and easily change your browser and search engine during the device setup process. In the same vein, those in the European Economic Area (EEA) can now head over to their account settings and toggle the ability to share their data across Google products and services. This sharing is typically done to personalize your ads and recommendations. The tech firm has also noted that it will start showing more consent banners and allow advertisers to build the same to have more transparency around the data being collected.
When it comes to Google Search, the company has touted that it has already implemented over 20 changes, including the introduction of chips for comparison and aggregator sites related to hospitality services. Notably, the Google Flights unit has also been removed from search results. Moreover, advertisers which use Google services will receive additional data about users while protecting their privacy under the guidance of the DMA. Data may also be transferred to third-party services through the Data Portability API that will become generally available in the EEA this week.
Developers are impacted by Google's changes in response to the DMA too. The user-choice billing (UCB) program is being expanded to games later this week; it allows developers to offer their own billing systems. Tomorrow, the company will also launch a program that makes it easier for developers to guide their customers outside the Google Play ecosystem to offer cheaper services and promotions. All of this is in addition to the existing facilities already being offered to developers, such as alternative billing programs and allowing third-party storefronts.