Google, Meta, others to push for open digital ecosystems

Alphabet’s Google, along with Meta Platforms, Qualcomm and seven other prominent tech firms, have joined forces to advocate for open digital ecosystems in response to new EU tech regulations in a move that may help preempt possible future legislation that may arise in response to concerns over anti-competitive practices in the tech industry.

The group, which calls itself the Coalition for Open Digital Ecosystems (CODE), said its mission is to advocate for open platforms and systems in Europe as a means of boosting growth and innovation in the region.

The group said it will work with academics, policymakers and companies on digital openness and how this can be achieved in Europe “through the implementation of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) and in future EU regulatory framework developments.”.

The DMA requires gatekeepers, tech giants that control access to their platforms, to allow third parties to inter-operate with the gatekeeper’s services and allow their business users to promote their offer and conclude contracts with their customers outside the gatekeeper’s platform.

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“We have had a number of conversations in the past few months about what ‘good’ looks like when it comes to digital ecosystems in Europe, what fosters innovation, and what will positively impact competitiveness. We think openness is the crucial element,” Lynx founder Stan Larroque said in a statement.

Other members of the group are Chinese smart devices maker Honor, China’s Lenovo, French augmented reality start-up Lynx, U.S. telecoms equipment maker Motorola, UK electronics maker Nothing, Norwegian tech company Opera and German messaging services provider Wire.

The Coalition said it aims to open up digital ecosystems through cross-industry collaboration and promote seamless connectivity and interoperable systems, among others.