Big clouds scramble over EU Data Act and data transfers

"The European Data Act is an ambitious attempt by the European Commission to galvanize the market for digital services by opening up access to data. But it also contains provisions to permit customers to move seamlessly between different cloud operators and combine data services from different providers in a so-called multi-cloud strategy. Cloud users have often complained about the fees that operators charge whenever data is transferred outside of their networks."

"Investigations by regulators such as the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have led the big three platforms - AWS, Microsoft's Azure and Google Cloud - to all waive egress fees, but only for users quitting their platforms. While the Data Act doesn't rule out vendors charging data transfer fees, it does expect cloud firms to pass on costs to customers rather than charging arbitrary or excessive payments."

The EU Data Act will come into force imminently and requires cloud providers to make it easier for customers to move their data and to support multi-cloud strategies. The measure opens access to data and enables seamless movement between cloud operators and combination of services from different providers. Cloud users have long complained about egress fees, prompting regulators to pressure major platforms to change practices. The Data Act allows transfer fees but expects costs to be passed through rather than arbitrary or excessive charges. Google offers a free Data Transfer Essentials service in the EU and UK for cost-optimized internal transfers, with audits and billing for misuse. Microsoft is offering at-cost transfer for EU customers and cloud partners shifting data to other providers.

Read at Theregister