American social media giant, Meta, plans to contest the application of the EU’s new competition laws to its Messenger and Marketplace services.
The European Commission announced in early September that 22 key platforms would be subject from 6 March 2024 to Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations aimed at curbing anticompetitive practices.
These platforms are owned by six technology titans: Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and China’s ByteDance – proprietor of TikTok.
Meta Group’s roster includes social networks Instagram and Facebook, instant messaging services WhatsApp and Messenger, Facebook Marketplace, and online advertising services.
However, the Group says it will challenge the inclusion of Messenger and Marketplace in the EU Court of Justice.
“This action seeks to clarify specific points of law regarding the designations of Messenger and Marketplace under the DMA,” a Meta spokesperson said. “It does not alter or diminish our strong commitment to comply with the DMA and we will continue to work constructively with the European Commission to prepare to comply.”
Meta plans to argue in court that Messenger is a chat feature of Facebook, not a separate service, and that Marketplace should also not be subject to the DMA regulations since it is a peer-to-peer service and does not allow professional users to reach end users.
When prompted for a comment, the European Commission opted not to do so.
