Italy has quietly become one of Big Tech’s most vocal opponents.

This is the latest in a series of actions by Big Tech, which has fined Amazon 1. 1.13 billion ($ 1.28 billion) last month.

Superintendent Autorita Guarante della Concornoza e del Merkato reinforced its actions last year and gave a few clues to the electronics giant Alphabet Google and Facebook owner Meta.

Regarding the recent Amazon fine, the regulator said it was abusing its dominance by encouraging Italian sellers to use its own logistics service. Amazon denies the allegations.

Renad Fukart, a senior economics professor at Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, told CBC News that high fines are part of a tendency for national regulators to take action against big tech companies because broader EU-level investigations could be “too slow”.

“National regulators want to show that they are active, they are really doing something,” he said.

AGCM was very active. A.D. By 2021, it has imposed a number of sanctions on major US technology companies. In another case, Amazon and Apple were fined for anti-competitive activities. Google fined 2 102 million for “software misuse” of the car software and fined ሚሊዮን 7 million for using Facebook in February.

Sanctions vary greatly in size but convey the same message.

But regulators like AGCM are not going to challenge their judgment. Amazon plans to appeal $ 1.28 billion fine

“The proposed fines and solutions are unfair and unreasonable,” the spokesman said.

According to Maria Louisa Stasi, Senior Legal Officer of the Digital Rights NGO, it is not surprising that some nationalists, such as Italy, France and Germany, have taken the initiative to move to the big tech. .

“Instead of waiting for sector competition or market research complaints, some competition officials in Europe tend to go to sector questions or market research, thinking there are areas where there may be some problems,” she said.

She added that it is no coincidence that these surveys are becoming more sophisticated digital viewers and consumers in crowded markets.

“They are supportive of many of the big issues we are seeing in Europe today, whether they are raised by consumer groups or by individuals,” she says. “It’s better to push from the bottom up.”

However, she said there are budget, resource and capacity issues, and she said regulators of all shapes are facing increasing digital workloads from time to time.

There is a huge need for evidence and data verification, especially in Big Tech’s large and international businesses, which can hurt budgets and knowledge.

“If you put a lot of protocols or code on my desk, I can’t tell you if that software is for a cartilage device because I can’t read it. This can slow down the process. A lot.”

She said she would support regulators to take temporary action against companies, for example, by ordering that certain activities be stopped or restricted during an investigation, which may take years instead of waiting for the investigation to be completed.

Other competition regulators have set up specialists to solve Big Tech. Last year, the UK Competition and Market Authority, a special technology unit set up to investigate digital giants, accelerated its action against late digital players. In particular, CMA is locking its horns with Facebook over its GP acquisition.

While the AGCM likes have taken action, the changing competition rules in Europe, especially around Big Tech, are about to undergo significant changes.

Digital Markets is a new set of EU rules that is still in its infancy but nearing its end. At the present time, the Council of Ministers of the European Union (EU) will meet to discuss the French-led legislation.

DMA enforces rules for large technology companies – gatekeepers to prevent attacks on the market. It also promotes more insights on mergers and acquisitions.

The EU Commission, the Executive Council of the European Union, investigates the abuses committed by these gatekeepers.

Luis Stasi says the question of capacity and resources depends on the DMA.

“Almost everything will be at the commission’s table. Can the commission do that? It’s a matter of capacity again,” she said.

In the meantime, other national regulators – both in competition law and in other areas such as privacy and data protection – continue to take action.

“The Germans were very active, the French were very active in the past,” said Lancaster University’s Fouart.

In the first week of January, French data watchdog CNN beat Google and Facebook for ሚሊዮን 150 million and ሚሊ 60 million cookies respectively, and the German Federal Cartel Office is investigating Google with new powers.

But many regulators say it should be stopped for a long time.

“If you find it [against] One of these big companies, you still need to win in court. You can appeal at European level. “