Concerns grow over EU digital rules targeting American companies

Apple and Amazon are being investigated for sweetheart tax deals; Google has been cited for antitrust violations; Facebook is under fire for its data privacy policies; and now the European Commission is threatening an inquiry into all digital “platforms” over whether they thwart competition. “The folks in Brussels would tell us that it is a coincidence,” said Penny Pritzker, the US secretary of commerce. Asked if she believes the EU authorities, Sec Pritzker replied: “I take them at face value.” Pritzker’s two-day visit to Brussels was the first for an American commerce secretary since Barack Obama became President. It focused on the European Commission’s new push for a “digital single market” — something Brussels argues will bring down barriers to commerce in the bloc, but that many American companies fear will be aimed at creating new regulations to stymie their growth. Although brief, her visit is part of a growing number of signals coming out of Washington that the Obama Administration is becoming more concerned about the line the EU has taken when it comes to American businesses, particularly in the tech sector.