The European Union (EU) fined big tech firms, Apple and Meta, for 500 million euros and 200 million euros respectively on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. The decision came as a result of the enforcement of the EU’s digital competition rules- the Digital Market Act (DMA).
Apple has been fined for preventing application makers from directing users to more affordable options outside the App Store.
Meanwhile, Meta was fined €200 million for forcing Facebook and Instagram users to either consent to personalized ads or pay to avoid them—limiting users’ freedom of choice. The penalties are announced under the DMA of the European Union.
Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s executive vice-president for tech sovereignty said, “the DMA aims to function so that citizens have full control over when and how their data is used online, and businesses can freely communicate with their own customers.”
Virkkunen added, “the decisions adopted today find that both Apple and Meta have taken away this free choice from their users and are required to change their behavior.”
The rulings were initially anticipated in March, but officials reportedly delayed them due to rising tensions in the trans-Atlantic trade relationship, as U.S. President Donald Trump continued to criticize EU regulations targeting American tech firms, the report said.
Apple responded by accusing the Commission of unfair treatment, stating it has already invested substantial resources to comply with the new law.
Meta’s global affairs chief, Joel Kaplan, criticized the ruling as biased, claiming the EU is “handicapping successful American companies while holding others to different standards.”
Though smaller than previous antitrust fines targeting big tech, these penalties signal the EU’s intensified efforts to enforce the DMA, which aims to curb monopolistic practices and rebalance digital markets.
The Digital Market Act of the EU is a comprehensive framework of regulations aimed at increasing consumer and business choice while preventing Big Tech “gatekeepers” from dominating digital markets.
