Apple and Meta were fined a combined €700M by EU regulators under the new Digital Markets Act, marking the first penalties issued since the law took effect. Apple was dinged €500M for restricting app developers from linking outside its App Store, while Meta received €200M for its ad-free subscription model.
EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said:
“Apple and Meta have fallen short. All companies operating in the EU must follow our laws and respect European values.”
The relatively light fines come amid pressure from President Trump, who has threatened trade retaliation over perceived anti-US tech bias. However despite the “light” fines, neither company is happy.
Apple said it would challenge the fine in court:
“Today’s 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.”
Meta also criticized the decision:
“The European Commission is attempting to handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards. This isn’t just about a fine; the Commission forcing us to change our business model effectively imposes a multi-billion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service.”
The White House isn't happy either:
“This novel form of economic extortion will not be tolerated by the United States. Extraterritorial regulations that specifically target and undermine American companies, stifle innovation, and enable censorship will be recognized as barriers to trade and a direct threat to free civil society. Now here's another tariff…”
Meta and Apple must comply with the EU decision within 60 days, or face the risk of further financial penalties.