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The European Commission fined tech companies Meta and Apple a combined €700 million on Wednesday for violating their obligations under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), marking a landmark for European digital competition law.
The European Commission fined Apple €500 million for implementing steering terms that breached the DMA. The Commission stated that Apple imposed technical and commercial restrictions on app developers’ steering obligation, which requires them to inform customers about alternative and cheaper app offers outside Apple’s App Store. These restrictions prevented developers from distributing their apps through channels other than the App Store and deprived consumers of the opportunity to benefit from cheaper alternatives available elsewhere. In addition to the fine, the Commission ordered Apple to eliminate the technical and commercial restrictions and to refrain from similar actions in the future.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, received a €200 million fine for adopting a “consent or pay” advertising model that came into effect in November 2023 and did not comply with the DMA. This model required European Facebook and Instagram users to choose between consenting to the use of their data for advertising purposes or paying a fee for ad-free service. The Commission found that this model infringed upon European users’ right to freely consent to the use of their personal data and did not offer them the option to choose a service using less personal data. This decision reflected calls from the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) to investigate Meta’s pay-or-consent strategy in the EU.
The European Commission noted that the fines took into account both the severity and the duration of the non-compliance. Its decision follows a non-compliance investigation into the companies’ policies that began in March 2024. It also gave Meta and Apple 60 days to comply with its decisions, otherwise they risk periodic penalty payments
In response to the Commission’s decision, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer criticized the fine, describing it as an attempt by the European Union to “handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards.” Similarly, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) expressed concerns about the politicization of the DMA and criticized the European Commission’s enforcement, stating it was “opaque and discretionary, lacking both predictability and proportionality.” However, the BEUC viewed the Commission’s decision as “good news” for European consumers, as it would allow them to enjoy more and better options in digital services.
Big tech companies have faced scrutiny from the European Commission in recent years for violating European digital competition laws. In March 2025, the Commission charged Apple with violations of the DMA. Previously, in 2024, a fine of €797 million was imposed on Meta for abusing its dominant position within the European market. In the following year, the digital rights organization Eko filed complaints in several European countries against Meta for conducting targeted advertising practices. Additionally, several French publishing associations filed a lawsuit against Meta for non-compliance with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
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The European Commission fined Apple €500 million for implementing steering terms that breached the DMA. The Commission stated that Apple imposed technical and commercial restrictions on app developers’ steering obligation, which requires them to inform customers about alternative and cheaper app offers outside Apple’s App Store. These restrictions prevented developers from distributing their apps through channels other than the App Store and deprived consumers of the opportunity to benefit from cheaper alternatives available elsewhere. In addition to the fine, the Commission ordered Apple to eliminate the technical and commercial restrictions and to refrain from similar actions in the future.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, received a €200 million fine for adopting a “consent or pay” advertising model that came into effect in November 2023 and did not comply with the DMA. This model required European Facebook and Instagram users to choose between consenting to the use of their data for advertising purposes or paying a fee for ad-free service. The Commission found that this model infringed upon European users’ right to freely consent to the use of their personal data and did not offer them the option to choose a service using less personal data. This decision reflected calls from the European Consumer Organization (BEUC) to investigate Meta’s pay-or-consent strategy in the EU.
The European Commission noted that the fines took into account both the severity and the duration of the non-compliance. Its decision follows a non-compliance investigation into the companies’ policies that began in March 2024. It also gave Meta and Apple 60 days to comply with its decisions, otherwise they risk periodic penalty payments
In response to the Commission’s decision, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer criticized the fine, describing it as an attempt by the European Union to “handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards.” Similarly, the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) expressed concerns about the politicization of the DMA and criticized the European Commission’s enforcement, stating it was “opaque and discretionary, lacking both predictability and proportionality.” However, the BEUC viewed the Commission’s decision as “good news” for European consumers, as it would allow them to enjoy more and better options in digital services.
Big tech companies have faced scrutiny from the European Commission in recent years for violating European digital competition laws. In March 2025, the Commission charged Apple with violations of the DMA. Previously, in 2024, a fine of €797 million was imposed on Meta for abusing its dominant position within the European market. In the following year, the digital rights organization Eko filed complaints in several European countries against Meta for conducting targeted advertising practices. Additionally, several French publishing associations filed a lawsuit against Meta for non-compliance with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act.
The post European Commission fines Apple and Meta €700M for breaching Digital Markets Act appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.