EU punishes Apple and Meta - Fines companies for violating bloc laws
Apple has been fined 500 million euros and Meta 200 million euros by European Union competition regulators, the bloc's first sanctions under legislation aimed at curbing the power of big tech companies.
The EU fines could fuel tensions with US President Donald Trump, who has threatened to impose tariffs against countries that penalise US companies.
The sanctions follow a year-long investigation by the European Commission into the Digital Markets Act, which aims to allow smaller rivals to enter markets dominated by larger companies. Apple has said it will challenge the EU fine.
"Today's announcements are another example of the European Commission unfairly targeting Apple in a series of bad decisions about the privacy and security of our users. They also force us to give away our technology for free," Apple said in a statement.
Meta also criticized the bloc's decision. "The European Commission is trying to hinder successful American businesses, while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate according to different standards. This is not just about a fine. The Commission is forcing us to change our business model, imposing a multi-billion dollar fee on Meta, while requiring us to provide an inferior service," the statement said.
The EU's competition watchdog said Apple must remove technical and commercial restrictions that prevent app developers from directing users to cheaper deals outside the App Store.
The bloc also highlighted that Meta's binary payment or consent model, introduced in November 2023, violated the Digital Markets Act.
The model gives Facebook and Instagram users who agree to be tracked a free service that is funded by advertising revenue. Alternatively, they can pay for an ad-free service.
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