{"id":44974,"date":"2025-04-23T22:24:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T22:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/44974\/"},"modified":"2025-04-23T22:24:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T22:24:13","slug":"eu-fines-apple-and-meta-for-digital-markets-act-violations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/44974\/","title":{"rendered":"EU Fines Apple and Meta for Digital Markets Act Violations"},"content":{"rendered":"

The European Commission<\/a> fined Apple<\/a> 500 million euros (about $566 million) and Meta<\/a> 200 million euros (about $226 million) Wednesday (April 23), saying the companies violated the Digital Markets Act<\/a> (DMA).<\/p>\n

Apple breached the DMA\u2019s anti-steering obligation by imposing restrictions that prevent app developers from informing consumers about offers that are available outside Apple\u2019s App Store<\/a>, the commission said in a Wednesday press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Together with the fine, the commission ordered Apple to remove these restrictions, per the release.<\/p>\n

Apple did not immediately reply to PYMNTS\u2019 request for comment.<\/p>\n

In a statement<\/a> provided to CNBC, the company said: \u201cToday\u2019s announcements are yet another example of the European Commission unfairly targeting Apple in a series of decisions that are bad for the privacy and security of our users, bad for products, and force us to give away our technology for free.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the case of Meta, the commission said in its press release that the company breached the DMA\u2019s obligation to enable consumers to choose a service that uses less of their personal data but is otherwise equivalent to the \u201cpersonalized ads\u201d service.<\/p>\n

Meta\u2019s \u201cConsent or Pay\u201d model, which was introduced in November 2023 and required EU users of Facebook<\/a> and Instagram<\/a> to consent to personalized advertising or pay a monthly subscription for an ad-free service, does not comply with the DMA, the release said.<\/p>\n

Another model that Meta introduced in November, which uses less personal data to display ads, is being assessed by the commission and is not included in this decision, according to the release.<\/p>\n

Meta responded to the decision with a statement<\/a> saying that the commission is trying to handicap American businesses while allowing Chinese and European ones to operate under different standards.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis isn\u2019t just about a fine; the commission forcing us to change our business model effectively imposes a multibillion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service,\u201d Meta Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan<\/a> said in the statement. \u201cAnd by unfairly restricting personalized advertising, the European Commission is also hurting European businesses and economies.\u201d<\/p>\n

These are the first penalties imposed under the DMA, Reuters reported<\/a> Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The report added that Google<\/a> and X<\/a> may be the next firms to face such fines.<\/p>\n

See More In: Apple<\/a>, Big Tech<\/a>, data<\/a>, Digital Markets Act<\/a>, EU<\/a>, European Commission<\/a>, international<\/a>, Meta<\/a>, Mobile Applications<\/a>, News<\/a>, privacy<\/a>, PYMNTS News<\/a>, regulations<\/a>, Technology<\/a>, What’s Hot<\/a><\/p>\n