London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Jul 23, 2025

UK seeks to curb Big Tech ‘dominance’ with launch of new regulator

UK seeks to curb Big Tech ‘dominance’ with launch of new regulator

A new UK regulator tasked with keeping an eye on tech giants has begun operations, and its first assignment is to draft a code of conduct aimed at improving interactions between platforms and news publishers.
The Digital Markets Unit (DMU) was formed in November to help safeguard user data and ensure fair business practices. It was formed by the Competition and Markets Authority, which took action after concluding last year that the dominance of Silicon Valley behemoths such as Google and Facebook was stifling innovation and hurting consumers.

The unit officially launched on Wednesday, with Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden marking the occasion by describing the DMU’s mandate as a “major milestone in the path to creating the world's most competitive online markets, with consumers, entrepreneurs and content publishers at their heart.”

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng was similarly hopeful about the DMU’s prospects, predicting that the agency would “help curb the dominance of the tech giants.”

The DMU’s first assignment will be to examine the relationships between platforms and content providers, as well as interactions between platforms and digital advertisers. The goal is to create a code of conduct that can later become legally binding.

Dowden explained that drafting the new code would help lower the prices of digital services and give consumers more choice and control over their data. He also said the regulator would play an important role in supporting the UK’s news industry, which is “vital to freedom of expression and our democratic values.”

The regulator’s launch comes after Facebook locked horns with Australia over proposed legislation that would force platforms to pay licensing fees to use domestically created news content. Facebook claimed that the law would make operating in Australia unprofitable and in February blocked news content for Australian users for several days. The content embargo was later lifted, and News Corp inked a three-year deal to provide content to Facebook in Australia.

Google, which also opposes the law, reached a deal with Canberra and agreed to pay some publishers to use their content.

Although controversial, Australia’s belief that platforms should pay for content has begun to attract support around the world. Canada announced in February that it was exploring legislation that would give news publishers more control over how their content is used by tech companies. In India, newspapers have demanded an 85% share of ad revenue from Google. Other countries already have guidelines in place. France, for example, has required that tech companies enter into negotiations with publishers regarding financial compensation, without forcing the issue.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×