Apple and Meta Hit with first fines under the new Digital Markets Act in Europe
After reported delays Due to political problems, the European Commission (EC) sanctioned Apple and Meta because of anti -competitive activities. Fines of EUR 500 million respectively and € 200 million (about $ 570 million and $ 228 million) are the first to be issued under the new digital market laws in Europe (DMA), According to the ECS
The fines were issued thereafter, which the Commission called extensive consultation with the two companies after the probes Discovered in March 2024.S Apple violates DMA by blocking developers to inform customers about sales and other offers outside the app store. “Consumers cannot take full advantage of alternative and cheaper offers, as Apple does not allow application developers to directly inform users of such offers,” the commission wrote, adding that it did not show that the restrictions were “objectively necessary”.
The Fine of EUR 500 million imposed on Apple reports “gravity and duration” of non -compliant behavior. The EC also ordered Apple to remove the restrictions and refrain from imposing them in the future.
However, the committee also Close your investigation In another Apple Matter about the choice of apps “Thanks to the early and proactive engagement from Apple on Somplience Solution.” Namely, Apple has changed your browser selection screen, making users easier to change default settings for things like calls, messages, keyboards and password managers and agreed to allow users to uninstall applications like Safari.
EC, meanwhile, struck Meta because of its “consent or payment“A system that forces EU users to reject 10 euros ($ 11) per month for advertising without advertising or to be forced to share their data. META introduced a new version of the free personalized advertisement model in November 2024 that it was supposedly using less personal data Show ads (while reducing the price of a subscription to 6 euros), but the committee still appreciates this.
Thus, the fine of € 200 million takes into account the period between March 2024 and November 2024, when Facebook violated the DMA rules. However, Meta may be confronted with additional sanctions depending on how the EC evaluates new custom additives. On a positive note on Meta, the EC makes Facebook Marketplace no longer defined according to DMA after “careful evaluation of META’s arguments and as a result of … additional measures for implementation and continuation of monitoring”.
Last month Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg specifically summoned President Trump to intervene about the potential EU sanctions about paying the issue of confidentiality. The White House also released a note in February, saying it could avenge all DMA European sanctions against US technology companies. However, Meta has its own problems in the United States that could have more serious consequences. The Ministry of Justice has accused him of competition for tingling through acquisition and can force him to sell Main applications such as WhatsApp and Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-and-meta-hit-with-firt-fines-nder-europes-new-Digital-Marks-act-1125713.
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