Apple and Meta confront potential fines in the hundreds of millions due to EU technology regulations.
It’s the ambition of every tech company to be first, but perhaps not in this way. Apple and Meta are now facing significant financial penalties from the European Commission, becoming the first companies to be fined under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Announced on Wednesday, Apple has been fined €500 million — approximately $570 million, or 0.15 percent of Apple’s revenue of $391.04 billion in 2024 — for violations related to its “anti-steering” practices that conflict with DMA antitrust regulations. “Anti-steering” refers to the restrictions within the Apple App Store that prevent developers from informing users about alternative platforms outside of the App Store where purchases can be made.
Meta has been fined €200 million — around $230 million, or 0.14 percent of Meta’s revenue of $164.50 billion in 2024 — due to issues surrounding Facebook and Instagram’s “pay or consent” ad model. This model requires users to either pay for an ad-free experience or consent to the platforms utilizing their data. Both Meta and Apple have the opportunity to avoid these fines if they comply with the European Commission’s ruling within the next 60 days. Reports indicate that both companies intend to appeal the ruling.
This situation follows a challenging period for fellow tech giant Google, which has faced two significant antitrust decisions and additional actions against its platform in Japan.
