EU: Microsoft, Amazon cloud services could be classified as gatekeepers

Following a seven-month investigation, the European Commission has reached a preliminary decision that Amazon’s and Microsoft’s cloud platforms — AWS and Azure, respectively — should be classified as “gatekeepers” under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), Reuters reports.

The DMA, also known as the Digital Markets Regulation, aims to limit the market power of dominant players. For cloud services, this would entail, among other things, requirements for increased interoperability and data portability, as well as restrictions on how these services might favor their own products and services.

The Commission pointed, among other things, to AWS and Azure’s large market shares, extensive investments, large customer bases, and high costs for customers who wish to switch providers.

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AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

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