BERLIN: The European Union is cracking down on big tech's unfair practices and requiring that companies like Apple, Google and Meta ensure that rivals have a chance to compete and that users aren't forced into using one kind of app or service

All of this is now regulated by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law that has already begun changing smartphones for anyone living in the EU.

The deadline for DMA implementation was on March 7 when the affected companies had to report to the European Commission for the first time on whether and how exactly they plan to comply with the new law.