The EU’s general court ruled on Wednesday that US tech giant Meta’s online marketplace for buying and selling secondhand items locally should no longer be designated under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), but maintained Facebook Messenger’s designation as a core platform service.
The Commission had designated Meta’s Facebook, Messenger and Marketplace services under the bloc’s DMA back in September 2023, meaning the three platforms must adhere to a set of upfront rules, including a ban on self referencing, limits on data use and interoperability requirements.
The court backed Meta’s arguments for quashing Facebook Marketplace’s DMA designation, saying the Commission had not taken into account changes implemented by the tech giant in July 2023 – including a limit on the number of listings a user can publish and criteria to limit business users posting on the marketplace in the EU.
Factors used by the Commission to designate Marketplace were hypothetical and…
