Tech giants Apple and Meta have been hit with hefty fines totalling €700 million (£600 million) by the European Commission for breaching EU digital competition rules.
Apple received a €500 million (£428.5 million) penalty for restricting app developers from directing users to alternative, potentially cheaper purchasing options outside of its App Store.
Meanwhile, Meta was fined €200 million (£171.4 million) for requiring Facebook and Instagram users within the EU to choose between viewing targeted advertising or paying for a subscription service to remove ads.
The Commission stated that Meta’s practice of requiring users to consent to the use of their personal data for personalised advertising or opt for a paid, ad-free experience violated EU regulations.
Both companies were found to have infringed the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a set of rules designed to prevent large tech companies from monopolising digital markets and to promote greater choice for consumers and businesses.
The DMA aims to level the playing field and ensure fairer competition within the digital landscape.
Teresa Ribera, the commission’s executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition, said: “Apple and Meta have fallen short of compliance with the DMA by implementing measures that reinforce the dependence of business users and consumers on their platforms.
“As a result, we have taken firm but balanced enforcement action against both companies, based on clear and predictable rules. All companies operating in the EU must follow our laws and respect European values.”
The fines are likely to anger the US government, and could have an impact on tensions between the United States and the EU, particularly over tariffs and trade.
US President Donald Trump and his administration have been critical of EU regulation on tech firms, and see fines imposed by Brussels on big US businesses as a form of taxation.
In a statement, Apple said it would appeal against the fine and accused the commission of “unfairly targeting” it.
“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,” Apple said.
“We have spent hundreds of thousands of engineering hours and made dozens of changes to comply with this law, none of which our users have asked for. Despite countless meetings, the commission continues to move the goalposts every step of the way.
“We will appeal and continue engaging with the commission in service of our European customers.”