The U.K. government is working on several rules that will help curb the excess powers that lie in the hands of large technology platforms.
The new Digital Markets Unit (DMU) will be empowered to investigate and ensure that technology platforms comply with the established rules.
The rules will promote competition, and violations of these rules will result in large fines, according to the U.K. government.
In addition to encouraging competition between technology platforms, the rules are also intended to give users more control over their data.
According to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), technology companies could also be forced to pay an extra 5% of daily global turnover for every day an offense continues.
Digital Minister Chris Phillip explained the reason for the new rules, saying the government wanted to “create a level playing field” in the technology industry, which is dominated and abused by a few American companies.
The rules will make it easier for people to switch between phone operating systems such as Apple iOS or Android, and will also allow them to switch from one social media account to another without losing data.