Brussels has fined Apple and Meta over €700 million combined, launching its first crackdown under the Digital Markets Act aimed at curbing big tech’s power and boosting competition in the digital economy.
The European Union has taken its first major enforcement step under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), levying significant fines against American tech giants Apple and Meta. The move underscores the bloc’s growing resolve to regulate dominant digital platforms and restore balance to the online economy.
Apple received a €500 million ($570 million) fine for what regulators called anti-competitive practices—specifically, restricting app developers from directing users to more affordable purchasing options outside of the App Store. According to EU authorities, this undermined consumer choice and stifled fair competition.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was fined €200 million. The European Commission found its “pay or consent” model—where users must either accept targeted ads or pay a fee to avoid them—violated the DMA’s provisions on user autonomy and freedom of choice.
The Digital Markets Act, which came into force earlier this year, targets large digital platforms designated as “gatekeepers,” requiring them to allow fair access for competitors and greater transparency for users. The enforcement actions mark a key moment in the EU’s campaign to curtail the dominance of global tech firms.
The penalties, originally anticipated in March, were delayed due to rising trade tensions with the United States under President Donald Trump. Nonetheless, EU regulators have pressed forward, aiming to set a precedent for strict digital oversight.
Apple sharply criticised the decision, arguing that it had invested substantial resources to comply with the new legislation and calling the fine “unfair.” The company claimed it had implemented dozens of changes and spent “hundreds of thousands of engineering hours.”
Meta also objected, with Chief Global Affairs Officer Joel Kaplan accusing the EU of applying unequal standards. He suggested that the regulation was designed to “handicap successful American businesses” while giving competitors in Europe and China more leeway.
Industry observers say the fines may fuel further friction between Brussels and Silicon Valley, as governments worldwide continue to debate how best to regulate big tech’s outsized influence on digital markets.
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