- Apple and Meta are the first tech giants fined under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). Apple faces a €500 million ($546 million) penalty over AppStore restrictions, while Meta was fined €200million ($218 million) for its "pay or consent" ad model.
- Apple must comply with DMA rules by late June or face daily penalties, while Meta's revised ad model remains under review. Apple is also being investigated for restricting rival app marketplaces.
- The DMA fines are smaller than previous EU antitrust penalties (e.g., Apple's €1.8B music streaming fine and Meta's €797M classifieds penalty). Officials note these reflect early-stage DMA enforcement.
- Both companies plan to appeal. Apple claims the EU is "moving the goalposts," while Meta calls the fine a "multi-billion-dollar tariff" harming European businesses and unfairly targeting American firms.
- The Commission defends its actions, stating Apple and Meta reinforced platform dependency in violation of DMA rules. Companies have 60 days to comply or risk further sanctions.
Apple and Meta have become the first tech giants penalized under the European Union's (EU) new Digital Markets Act (DMA), as regulators escalate enforcement of digital competition rules.
On April 23, the European Commission (EC) announced a €500 million ($546 million) fine against Apple for DMA violations linked to its AppStore policies and a €200 million ($218 million) penalty for Meta over its controversial "pay or consent" advertising model – forcing users to either accept personalized ads or pay for ad-free access to Facebook and Instagram.
Alongside the fines, Apple was ordered to cease anti-competitive practices and given until late June to make further changes or face additional daily penalties. Meanwhile, regulators are still assessing Meta's response to concerns after the company adjusted its ad model late last year. (Related: EU authorities slap Meta with record $1.3B fine for data privacy law violations.)
The DMA penalties are notably smaller than previous antitrust rulings. Last year, Apple was fined €1.8 billion ($2.1 billion) for stifling competition in music streaming, while Meta faced a €797 million ($909 million ) fine for unfairly promoting its classifieds service.
A senior EU official indicated that the lower fines reflect the early stage of DMA enforcement, noting Meta had already halted the disputed practice after regulators intervened.
Moreover, the EC dropped a separate probe into Apple's handling of browser and default app restrictions, citing improved competition for rivals like Mozilla. Meta, meanwhile, saw Facebook Marketplace excluded from DMA oversight, reducing regulatory pressure on its operations.
However, Apple remains under scrutiny for restricting access to alternative app marketplaces, with preliminary findings suggesting further fines could follow.
"Apple and Meta have fallen short of compliance with the DMA by implementing measures that reinforce the dependence of business users and consumers on their platforms. As a result, we have taken firm but balanced enforcement action against both companies, based on clear and predictable rules," EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera stated.
Both Apple and Meta must comply within 60 days or risk heftier sanctions.
Apple and Meta push back against the fines
In response to the fines, both companies have vowed to appeal.
Apple, which condemned the decision, accused the EC of "moving the goalposts" despite its efforts to comply. The company argued that it has "spent hundreds of thousands of engineering hours and made dozens of changes to comply with this law, none of which our users have asked for. Despite countless meetings, the Commission continues to move the goalposts every step of the way."
Meanwhile, Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan criticized the decision, framing it as a "multi-billion-dollar tariff" that harms European economies. "[The EC] is attempting to handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards," Kaplan said.
"This isn't just about a fine; the [EC] is 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 EC is also hurting European businesses and economies," Kaplan added.
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