Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Suffers Fresh Defeat In Europe Over Messenger

Mark Zuckerberg-owned social media giant Meta has suffered another setback in Europe after an EU court ruled against the company in a case related to its Messenger app. The General Court of the European Union on Wednesday upheld the European Commission's decision to classify Messenger as a 'gatekeeper' under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Reuters reported.The label is given to large technology platforms that have major influence over digital markets and must follow stricter rules created to boost competition.The court agreed with the Commission's view that Messenger serves as an important gateway for businesses to reach users. As a result, Meta will continue to face additional obligations under the DMA for the messaging platform."The Commission did

not err in finding that Messenger individually is an important gateway," the judges was quoted as saying.However, the court ruled in Meta's favour on a separate issue involving Facebook Marketplace. It removed Marketplace's gatekeeper status, saying the European Commission had not clearly justified its decision.The ruling is unlikely to have much impact because the Commission had already taken Marketplace off the gatekeeper list last year after it no longer met the required number of users.Zuckerberg Finally Remembers Privacy Concerns? Meta Scales Back Employee Tracking For AI"We welcome the Court's judgment on Marketplace, which confirms that it should not have been designated in the first place. We are reviewing the Court’s finding on Messenger and will consider ⁠our options," a Meta company spokesperson told Reuters.The Digital Markets Act came into effect in 2023 to limit the power of big technology companies and create a more level playing field for smaller competitors. Meta can still challenge the ruling by appealing to the Court of Justice of the European Union.Meanwhile, the Social media giant has reportedly scaled back its employee tracking program used to train AI after a heavy backlash. As per Reuters, this change was announced on Tuesday through an internal memo after weeks of criticism from employees who raised concerns about battery usage, privacy and internet consumption.