The European Commission has imposed fines on Apple and Meta for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to regulate competition in the digital market, reports the Baltimore Chronicle with reference to The Guardian.
Apple has been fined €500 million for restricting app developers from distributing their products outside the App Store, making it harder for users to access potentially cheaper alternatives. The company has been given 60 days to remove these restrictions, or face additional fines. Apple plans to appeal this decision.
Meta was fined €200 million for implementing a “take it or pay” model in November 2023, which required users to either accept the use of their data for personalized ads or pay for an ad-free experience. The Commission ruled that this model was incompatible with the DMA as it did not offer users a less invasive alternative for data processing. The fine applies to an eight-month period following the enforcement of the DMA in March 2024.
Both companies consider the fines unjust and intend to appeal. The EU justified the fines by citing the novelty of the legislation and the short duration of the violations, emphasizing that all companies must adhere to the laws and values of the EU. Consumer protection groups have welcomed the ruling, while industry representatives criticized the implementation of the DMA as unpredictable.
Earlier we wrote that Apple moved 1.5 million iPhones from India to avoid Trump tariffs.