Facebook criticises Apple as it welcomes Europe's new technology rules

Facebook accused Apple of using its power to “harm developers and consumers” as it welcomed draft laws outlined by the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU.
 

The new laws announced Tuesday — known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and the Digital Services Act (DSA) — are designed to keep the tech giants in check. The DMA introduces rules for platforms that act as “gatekeepers” in the digital sector, while the DSA is designed to address illegal and harmful content by asking platforms to rapidly take it down.
 

“We hope the DMA will also set boundaries for Apple,” a Facebook spokesman said in a statement shared with CNBC. “Apple controls an entire ecosystem from device to app store and apps, and uses this power to harm developers and consumers, as well as large platforms like Facebook.”
 

Apple did not immediately respond to CNBC request for comment.
 

Apple and Facebook have been feuding ever since Apple announced a privacy tool that lets users block advertisers from tracking them across different apps.
 

When the feature was announced, Facebook, which makes money from selling ads, claimed it would hurt developers. Apple responded saying: “When invasive tracking is your business model, you tend not to welcome transparency and customer choice.”