Citizens’ groups say users can sue US major technology under EU rules – Money Times

Individual users should be allowed to pick up giants Technology From To us To court for violation of local rules European union Privacy International, the pan-European consumer group BEUC, and several academics said Tuesday that it aims to curb its power.

The appeal by the Coalition of 31 Groups and Academics comes as lawmakers and EU nations discuss the final points of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) – more than a year ago, as proposed by the group’s trusted leader, Margaret Wester. Before it officially became law.

The DMA draft sets out the list of permitted and prohibited actions for industrial giants. Apple (APL), Google (Google) (From alphabetical order), Facebook (FB), Amazon (AMZO34) And Microsoft (MSFT34).

This text currently only allows business users to sue for infringing companies.

“Individually and collectively, the law should allow users to bring penalties for violating DMA rules before national courts,” the panel said in an open letter to EU agencies. Although lawmakers are open to the idea, European countries have so far ignored the demand.

The federation urged parliamentarians and EU countries to allow consumer organizations and civil society representatives to participate in the processes set out in the draft law, so that their needs are reflected in the decisions of the European Commission on Technology Companies.

Signatories to the open letter include the Center for Digital Democracy, the Consumer Federation of America, the Civil Liberties Union for Europe, European digital rights and academics at Oxford University, the University of Economics and Business in Vienna, and the University of Amsterdam. .