Last year, Microsoft argued for an exemption for its search products Bing, Edge and Microsoft Ads in the Digital Markets Act. A final decision is expected within two weeks.

A few months ago, Microsoft gave its users more freedom through the new European rules of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Last year, the company argued that its search products Bing, Edge and Microsoft Ads should receive an exemption. Although market share is not a decisive factor, it seems plausible that Microsoft will be right, even if the proposal still has to go through the checks. A final decision will be made within two weeks.

Exception for Bing, Edge and Microsoft Ads?

The DMA was created to limit the power of the biggest tech giants. A number of gatekeepers have been appointed for this purpose, including Microsoft, Apple and Meta. The tech giants must adhere to stricter rules to ensure competition in the digital market.

Last year, Microsoft argued that its search products Bing, Edge and Microsoft Ads cannot be considered market challengers and should therefore receive an exemption. The European Commission has reportedly agreed to Microsoft’s proposal. Microsoft’s two slightly less popular products could therefore be excluded from the EU list for the DMA.

A final decision is not expected for two weeks. The question is whether the gatekeepers will approve such a request.

Market shares

To date, Google still has the largest market share in Belgium at eighty percent. Worldwide, this proportion even rises to ninety percent. Microsoft’s browser Bing has to make do with significantly less and, despite new AI functions, barely has a market share of four percent worldwide. On a national level, the search engine appears to be above average in popularity.