Not really. If citizens see "fines" and think "whew, they got their just deserts", it's almost worse than no fines.
But the EU is frequently performative, so it doesn't surprise me. It wouldn't surprise me if they agreed in advance with the EU the fines, behind some closed doors.
Nothing less than a billion these days even registers
It could look performative if you only look at citizens.
From other businesses POV though
- this becomes the final decision on this given behavior under the DMA. A precedent is set, that will guide any further enforcement.
- it also sets a stake in the ground for other back and forth litigations: the EU will actually fine the companies. We can argue whether this amount is too low, but on any further fines the question will never be whether the EU will actually do it (compare to the current US tariffs situation and you see why this matters)
- it's easier to expand to DMA adjacent companies as needed. If Bluesky ever had to be scrutinized, this would be a reference point.
Starting somewhere. The US ain't even doing that.
Not really. If citizens see "fines" and think "whew, they got their just deserts", it's almost worse than no fines.
But the EU is frequently performative, so it doesn't surprise me. It wouldn't surprise me if they agreed in advance with the EU the fines, behind some closed doors.
Nothing less than a billion these days even registers
It could look performative if you only look at citizens.
From other businesses POV though
- this becomes the final decision on this given behavior under the DMA. A precedent is set, that will guide any further enforcement.
- it also sets a stake in the ground for other back and forth litigations: the EU will actually fine the companies. We can argue whether this amount is too low, but on any further fines the question will never be whether the EU will actually do it (compare to the current US tariffs situation and you see why this matters)
- it's easier to expand to DMA adjacent companies as needed. If Bluesky ever had to be scrutinized, this would be a reference point.