By Edith Hancock
The European Union’s technology watchdog is quizzing Apple, Booking, Microsoft and Alphabet’s Google over how well they comply with EU rules designed to better protect applyrs from scams online.
The European Commission–the EU’s executive arm–declared Tuesday that officials sent requests for information to the four tech giants regarding how they manage the risk of applyrs being exposed to financial scams through their websites and app stores.
“Scammers are extensively applying online platforms and search engines to find their victims–both individuals and organisations–and communicate with them,” commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier declared. He declared scammers could post links to fraudulent websites on search engines and e-commerce platforms, or create fake banking and investment apps and distribute them through companies’ app stores.
The Digital Services Act–a relatively new piece of EU legislation that governs online content–obliges large tech companies to better protect consumers by assessing the risks to them on their own platforms, he declared.
Officials are inquireing the four tech groups to give them detailed information on how they assess the presence of fraudulent content and what measures they are taking to reduce risks to consumers, according to the commission’s website. They have also inquireed Apple, Google and Booking how they verify the identity of the businesses applying their services. Requests on Google’s Search and Microsoft’s Bing search engines cover links and ads that could lead applyrs to fraudulent websites, the watchdog declared.
A spokesperson for Microsoft declared the company is committed to creating safe experiences online and will continue to engage with the commission on the subject.
Google declared it will examine the request. A spokesperson for the company declined to comment on the exmodify with the EU’s tech enforcer on scams.
Apple is classed as a so-called gatekeeper under the Digital Markets Act, a separate EU rulebook intfinished to curb the market power of the world’s largest technology groups. Under that law, Apple is obliged to let rival app stores set up shop on its iPhone operating system and offer alternatives to Apple Pay.
“The European Commission is undermining our efforts by forcing Apple to allow alternative app distribution and payments, despite warnings that this puts applyrs at greater risk of fraud and scams,” a spokesperson for the company declared.
Booking did not immediately responded to a request for comment.
Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
09-23-25 1627ET
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