Tech regulation and its future: How Apple, Google, Microsoft could face further scrutiny in 2025

Big tech companies

Google spent a lot of time in 2024 making legal arguments. So did Apple, Microsoft and other tech companies. Why? Big tech companies found themselves at the center of debates on data privacy, antitrust laws, artificial intelligence (AI), and fair market practices. Don’t expect that to change in 2025 either. Governments worldwide are intensifying their efforts to rein in the influence of these technology giants, reflecting growing concerns about their impact on competition, innovation, and society.

More antitrust battles

For years, Apple and Google have faced accusations of monopolistic behaviour. Apple’s App Store policies, which include a 15–30% commission on in-app purchases (informally known as “Apple tax”, continue to attract legal challenges from app developers and regulators.

Meanwhile, Google is under fire for its dominance in online advertising and search. The US Department of Justice is hell bent on breaking up Google as it argues the dominance is not good for smaller players and constitutes of anticompetitive behaviour. That case will be one of the biggest talking points of 2025 and Google will have to put all its might to avoid facing more trouble.

The EU factor

The European Union, long a frontrunner in tech regulation, is expected to implement stricter measures in 2025, including provisions in the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that could force major platforms to ensure interoperability and offer more choices to consumers. For instance, the EU wants Apple to open up its ecosystem to third-parties. We might see features like AirDrop — exclusive to Apple device owners — becoming accessible for Android or Windows users.

Furthermore, EU will also be looking to scrutinise giants’ acquisitions and market consolidation tactics.

What about AI?

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT and other large language models, faces a different set of challenges. As generative AI becomes more integrated into daily life, concerns about misinformation, bias, and job displacement have amplified. Regulators are expected to demand greater transparency in how AI models are trained, urging companies like OpenAI to disclose datasets and ensure compliance with ethical guidelines.

Microsoft, a key investor in OpenAI, is also under scrutiny for integrating AI into its products like Office and Azure. Questions remain about how AI advancements could unfairly strengthen Microsoft’s position in the enterprise software market.

Meta and Amazon are other two big tech companies heavily betting on AI and are expected to bring further advancements. Their AI push will be closely watched by regulatory bodies around the world.

All about consumer rights

Apple has always positioned itself as a champion of user privacy. However, its practices could come under review. New data privacy laws in Europe, such as the EU’s proposed AI Act, could place additional obligations on Apple to disclose how its devices and services use machine learning and collect user data.

Google, whose business model heavily relies on personalised ads, faces even more pressure. The phasing out of third-party cookies in Chrome by 2025 may attract scrutiny over whether its replacement technologies still give Google an unfair advantage in digital advertising.

More regulation coming?

Regulation isn’t just a Western phenomenon. In India, new data protection laws and antitrust investigations could further limit how Apple, Google, and others operate in one of the fastest-growing digital markets.

China, meanwhile, continues its tech crackdown with stricter rules on AI and data security, influencing how multinational companies navigate the region. Companies like Alibaba, Baidu all have to go through strict rules and regulations while training their next generation AI models.

Apple, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and other companies will face more scrutiny in 2025. Whether it ends up benefitting the customers in the long run is a question that still remains unanswered.