EU Fines Apple and Meta for Digital Markets Act Violations

Core Points - The European Commission fined Apple €500 million (approximately $566 million) and Meta €200 million (approximately$226 million) for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA) [1][2] - Apple was found to have breached the DMA's anti-steering obligation by restricting app developers from informing consumers about offers outside of its App Store [1][2] - Meta's "Consent or Pay" model, which required EU users to consent to personalized ads or pay for an ad-free service, was deemed non-compliant with the DMA [3][5] Company Responses - Apple criticized the European Commission's actions as unfairly targeting the company and detrimental to user privacy and security [2] - Meta argued that the commission's decision imposes a multibillion-dollar tariff on the company and negatively impacts European businesses and economies [5] - Meta also claimed that the commission is applying different standards to American companies compared to Chinese and European firms [4] Regulatory Context - These fines represent the first penalties imposed under the DMA, indicating a significant enforcement action by the European Commission [5] - The commission has indicated that other companies, such as Google and X, may also face similar fines in the future [6]