April 23, (THEWILL) – The European Union has fined Apple and Meta a combined €700 million (nearly $800 million) for breaching the bloc’s landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA), risking the ire of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Apple was hit with a €500 million ($570 million) fine for restricting how app developers communicate with users about alternative sales and offers, while Meta was fined €200 million (nearly $230 million) over its controversial “pay or consent” model, which forces users in the EU to either pay for ad-free access to Facebook and Instagram or consent to targeted advertising.
The penalties come after a yearlong investigation by the European Commission, the EU’s executive body, into the companies’ compliance with the DMA, which came into effect last year.
Alongside the fine, Apple received a cease-and-desist order requiring it to make further changes to its App Store operations by late June or risk additional daily penalties.
The sanctions threaten to further strain relations between the EU and the United States at a time when the two sides are seeking to avert Trump’s proposed sweeping tariffs on European goods.
In a statement, Apple said it would appeal the fine, accusing the Commission of unfair treatment.
“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,” the company said.
Meta also criticised the decision, accusing the EU of undermining American businesses while applying different standards to European and Chinese companies.
“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,” said Joel Kaplan, Meta’s Chief Global Affairs Officer.
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