The European Union on Wednesday imposed major fines on Apple and Meta for violating the bloc’s digital competition rules.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, fined Apple €500 million ($571 million), and Meta €200 million ($228.4 million) for breaching the Digital Markets Act, which aims to promote fair competition and limit the dominance of big tech companies, according to CNBC.
Officials stated that Apple violated the DMA’s “anti-steering” rules, which require the company to let app developers inform users about alternative offers outside the App Store.
The EU ordered Apple to remove these technical and commercial restrictions and to stop any further non-compliant behavior.
Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In Meta’s case, the European Commission found that the company violated the DMA by forcing users to either consent to data sharing or pay for an ad-free experience — a practice deemed illegal under the new digital rules.
The EU’s action followed Meta’s launch of a paid subscription option for Facebook and Instagram in November 2023.
Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer, Joel Kaplan, criticized the decision, saying the Commission was “attempting to handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards.”
“This isn’t just about a fine; the Commission forcing us to change our business model effectively imposes a multi-billion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service. And by unfairly restricting personalized advertising the European Commission is also hurting European businesses and economies,” Kaplan said.
