Turkey plans to impose new rules aimed at curbing the dominance of major tech companies, drawing inspiration from the European Union's regulatory approach, which could expose the country to the risk of U.S. retaliation.
The bill is set to be presented to parliament soon, and it will prevent tech companies like Apple, Google's parent company Alphabet, Meta, and Amazon from favoring their own services in search engines, app stores, or digital markets, according to senior Turkish officials who spoke to Bloomberg. The bill is supported by the ruling party and was prepared in collaboration with Turkey's competition authority.
Failure to comply could result in fines of up to 10% of the companies' annual revenues, according to the officials, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
This move comes amid growing tensions between the U.S. and the European Union over the regulation of the digital tech sector. The European Union adopted the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in May 2023, aiming to curb anti-competitive practices by imposing obligations on major digital platforms, known as "gatekeepers." The Turkish proposal aligns with the European Union's approach, potentially complicating Ankara's trade relations with Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump strongly criticized the European Union's Digital Markets Act, calling it "foreign extortion" targeting U.S. companies and threatening to impose tariffs in response.
Under the Turkish proposal, closed ecosystems like Apple's will be required to allow users to install apps from external sources, meaning users could download apps on iPhones and iPads from outside the official App Store, similar to the sideloading feature available on Google's Android system.
Platforms will also be prohibited from processing user data without explicit consent, with restrictions on how that data can be used for commercial purposes.
Additionally, major tech companies will be required to provide clear information to business users, such as app developers, advertisers, and digital marketplace sellers, about the scope of services, performance, and pricing.
The proposal is still subject to amendments before its official adoption, and some of its provisions may change during the legislative process.
