LobbyControl Tech

Commission notifies Meta of possible interim measures to reverse exclusion of third-party AI assistants from WhatsApp The European Commission has sent a Statement of Objections to Meta, setting out its preliminary view that Meta breached EU antitrust rules by excluding third party Artificial Intelligence (‘AI\') assi...

Big news: the European Commission has told Meta that its exclusion of rival AI assistants from WhatsApp is anti-competitive, and ordered it to reverse the policy.

This is very fast by the EC's standards; the original investigation was only opened in December.

ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Bundeskartellamt prohibits Amazon from applying so-called price control mechanisms and orders the disgorgement of 59 million euros in economic benefits www.bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/M...

We've updated our Big Tech M&A tracker! The new data reveals that:

🔎 Acquisitions by Big Tech firms Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Apple, and Amazon increased by 30% in 2025

🔎 Big Tech is positioning itself as a key actor in the future of AI, with 15 of those acquisitions being AI-related.

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CEO has uncovered a new astroturfing organization by Big Tech: EU Tech Loop is a project by CCC Europe, a lobby group funded by Google and Meta. EU Tech Loop publishes articles on the Euronews website that closely echo the views of Big Tech. 👇

Graphic by Corporate Europe Observatory promoting a report titled ‘Profiting from Addiction: Big Tech’s lobbying to keep us hooked on social media.’ A young person looks down at a smartphone, illuminated in blue light, while stylised purple shapes suggest addiction or control. Corporate Europe Observatory logo and website are shown.

🤳 Open phone for one thing. 1h later, you remember it again, after feeling your brain melted by doomscrolling and brainrot.

That’s not a personal failure — it’s by design. The EU wants to curb it. Big Tech is #lobbying hard to keep you hooked.

👀 our new report 👇
corporateeurope.org/en/2026/02/a...

This one-sidedness in the meetings is reflected in the Commission's proposals. For example, in the Digital Omnibus, which is a gift to Trump and his tech oligarchs. /4

👉 US companies continue to have very good access. No major country is represented more frequently at meetings with individual companies than the US. /3

👉 69% of all meetings were with company representatives and business associations. Only 16% with NGOs. A decline of 6 percentage points compared to VDL I /2

Lobby contacts: Second VDL Commission has more frequent meetings with companies The second Von der Leyen Commission’s focus on competitiveness is reflected in its more intensive contact with company representatives. Meetings with US companies are predominant.

Important analysis by Table.Media: The second Von der Leyen Commission’s focus on competitiveness is reflected in its more intensive contact with company representatives. Meetings with US companies are predominant. /1

table.media/en/europe/fe...

💌 This Valentine’s, Europe is getting mail. A lot of it.
Hundreds of Valentine’s cards are on their way to the European Commission, all carrying the same message: Break up with Big Tech, stop cheating on EU citizens.

Tell the EU: Break Up with Big Tech! Right now, EU leaders are finalising a text that could decide whether Europe protects its people's data and safety online - or lets Big Tech off the hook. So today, we’re sending Valentine’s cards str...

Send a Valentine Card and tell the EU: Break Up with Big Tech! bigtech.wemove.postbug.app/en

Great postcard action from @wemoveeurope.bsky.social

Digital Omnibus: EU Commission wants to wreck core GDPR principles The EU Commission has published its proposal for the "Digital Omnibus". The planned changes to the GDPR would lower protections for Europeans

"Contrary to the Commission's official press release, these changes are not “maintaining the highest level of personal data protection”, but massively lower protections for Europeans. ... The proposed changes are a gift to US big tech" noyb.eu/en/digital-o... #GDPR #DigitalOmnibus #StandUpUrsula

Ursula! Stand up for Europe – not for Trump’s tech bros! #StandUpUrsula

Deregulation will not solve our dependence on Big Tech! On the contrary, effective rules are needed to limit the power of Big Tech. It's time to fight back and break up Big Tech!

🚨 Brussels, today 🚨Ursula! Stand up for Europe – not for Trump’s tech bros!

As the EU unveils its “Digital Omnibus” today, we're rolling out billboards calling on @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu to stop bending to US and Big Tech pressure and enforce our digital laws #StandUpUrsula✊

🚨 Brussels, today 🚨 Ursula! Fight for Europe – not for Trump’s tech bros.

Today, as the EU caves to pressure from Trump & Big Tech, campaigners in Brussels call on @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu to stand up for Europe and enforce our digital laws ✊#StandUpUrusla

Europe Begins Rethinking Its Crackdown on Big Tech

If the EU is to become truly independent, it must withstand pressure from both Big Tech and the Trump administration. Instead of weakening rules such as the DMA, DSA, AI Act and GDPR, it must defend them with all its might.

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/t...
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EU Considers Cracking Down on Big Tech's Cloud Power Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Corp.’s Azure, and Alphabet Inc.’s Google Cloud risk being dragged into the scope of the European Union’s crackdown on Big Tech as antitrust watchdogs prepare to study t...

Very promising news as the European Commission moves towards bringing Big Tech’s cloud arms under the Digital Markets Act, as long called for by @openmarkets.bsky.social.

Cloud alternatives won’t take off until we loosen the hyperscalers’ chokehold on the market.

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The EU has let US tech giants run riot. Diluting our data law will only entrench their power | Johnny Ryan and Georg Riekeles The GDPR is Europe’s defence against digital oligarchy and child harm. Deregulation plans are misguided, say Johnny Ryan and Georg Riekeles

🗞️ "In this moment of crisis, #Europe should not cripple its best weapon against #US tech dominance, but enforce its laws, defend its sovereignty, create the space for innovation, and prove that democracy can tame Silicon Valley."

Read more 👉 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

First bloom: new report shows increased consumer choice after eighteen months of the Digital Markets Act In July 2025, the European Commission opened a consultation to gather feedback on the impact and effectiveness of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and its ability to face emerging challenges. Our review ...

New report by @BEUC: Increased consumer choice after eighteen months of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) www.beuc.eu/news/first-b...

But the Commission needs to take enforcement to "the next level" to ensure that gatekeepers comply fully.

Databroker Files: Targeting the EU Precise locations and revealing movement patterns: the mobile phone location data of millions of people in the EU is up for sale. Collected supposedly only for advertising purposes, this data can also...

Scoop: We obtained vast amounts of European mobile phone location data from data brokers. It was allegedly collected for advertising purposes only, but can be used to spy on high-ranking EU officials & NATO staff in Brussels. The Commission is 'concerned' & issued new security guidance to its staff.

Big Tech lobbying of Brussels now €151m a year, new study finds Tech companies now spend €151m a year on lobbying in Brussels — a 33-percent increase on 2023. With the backing of the US government, they hope to push the EU Commission while it's looking towards simplifying its digital regulations.

Tech companies now spend €151m a year on lobbying in Brussels — a 33-percent increase on 2023. With the backing of the US government, they hope to push the EU Commission while it's looking towards simplifying its digital regulations.

Big Tech ups lobbying firepower, €€ in Brussels American tech companies have piled into EU capital with bigger budgets and beefed-up teams.

Tech firms are spending more than ever on lobbying the European Union amid mounting opposition to the bloc’s digital rules, according to new analysis.

graph showing lobbying expenditure in the tech industry over recent years

The tech industry has significantly increased its lobbying efforts within the EU. Our latest analysis of the EU lobby register:

🇩🇪 www.lobbycontrol.de/macht-der-di...

🇬🇧 corporateeurope.org/en/2025/10/b... via @corporateeurope.org

⚠️For years, the Big Tech front group Allied for Startups has been underreporting its lobby budget.

👏 Following a complaint by CEO and @lobbycontrol.bsky.social, Allied for Startups has now been forced by the EU Transparency Register to correct its registration.

👉 corporateeurope.org/en/media/6430

Protesters outside Berlaymont urge EU to break up Google | Euractiv NGOs call on the Commission to force Google to sell parts of its advertising technology business after it was fined €2.95 billion for violating EU competition rules

With our protests yesterday in Brussels, we call on the Commission to force Google to sell parts of its advertising technology business. It is time to break up the Google monopoly.
www.euractiv.com/news/protest...
@peoplevsbigtech.bsky.social @wemoveeurope.bsky.social @rebalance-now.bsky.social

Great work by @lobbyctrl-tech.bsky.social highlighting the #google situation as @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu has carried out with her #adtech decision.

Yesterday, we went to the EU-Commission’s headquarter in Brussels to protest for a Google break-up. Commissioner Ribera did the right thing with her adtech-decision. Now, she has to stay firm & resist pressure from inside the Commission & from the other side of the Atlantic. Time to break up Google!

Protestors in Brussels call for the EU to Break Up Google

👀Is that EU competition chief @teresaribera.ec.europa.eu taking a hammer to break up Google??

Today we're sending a loud message to @ec.europa.eu to dismantle Google's toxic advertising monopoly! #BreakUpBigTech. Great work @lobbyctrl-tech.bsky.social bsky.social @rebalance-now.bsky.social 👏👏👏

Together with other groups, we will now increase public pressure for a Google breakup in the 60 days to come. Time to break up Google's monopoly power! 4/

So a Google break-up is on the table. Google has 60 days to inform the Commission on how it plans to end its inherent conflict of interest in the adtech industry. 3/