Since the invention of the credit card, in 1967, paying is more and more easy. Now getting out of your phone is enough. And it is no longer the banks supervised by the state that are maneuvering, but telephone manufacturers. My new iPhone recognizes me, has my bank details, and it is enough to approach it from the payment terminal so that the operation is recorded. Soon, this intense effort will probably no longer be necessary, a blunder or a simple word will be enough. And the masters of these virtual scholarships are called Apple and Google.
This Monday, May 2, in Brussels, Margrethe Vestager, the European Competition Commissioner in Brussels, accused Apple of preventing its competitors from using its contactless payment system. Thus, Paypal or Square users (now block), two popular applications, cannot use the Apple contactless system, reserved only for the home solution, Apple Pay. After opening an investigation in 2000, the Commission officially communicated its grievances to the Californian company, which will have to respond to it. With the threat of a fine that could amount to billions of dollars.
The vigorous Danish commissioner thus continues her crusade against the American giants of the Internet, accused of taking advantage of their position of domination to kill, or at least enslave, competition. In a parallel case, Apple is criticized for controlling access to its millions of applications, from video games to listening to music, and of taking a commission of almost 30 % from the transactions carried out. It is the power of the vertically integrated monopoly, from the phone to the music, shopping or payment platform.
Will competition law manage to contain the appetites of these giants? They object that the consumer can choose another phone and that their closed system is a guarantee of safety. Above all, they argue that they are the only ones to invest as much in technology and that they offer the most effective solution. What is partially true, but is not a reason to abdicate his freedom. And then, the procedures are so long, and their lawyers so sharp, that they know how to drag the litigation interminably.
This is why Brussels finally drew the legislative weapon in March by proposing a specific regulation of large platforms, such as Google, Apple, Facebook or Amazon, to force them to ensure equal access to their competitors. The European Parliament and States must decide. Europe’s digital sovereignty is a combat sport, and the match is just beginning.