Apple has been fined EUR 500 million, while Meta faces a EUR 200 million penalty. These sanctions follow comprehensive investigations and extended dialogues with both companies, which were allowed to present their arguments and address the Commission's concerns. Both Apple and Meta are required to comply with the Commission's decisions within 60 days. Failure to do so could result in further sanctions, including periodic penalty payments.
Under the Digital Markets Act, gatekeepers such as Apple are required to allow app developers to inform users of alternative purchasing options outside of their platforms. The regulation mandates that developers be permitted to promote and link to these external offers without incurring additional charges or restrictions.
The Commission determined that Apple imposed unjustified technical and contractual barriers that prevented developers from directing users to better-value alternatives outside the App Store ecosystem. These restrictions inhibited competition and limited consumer choice, undermining one of the DMA’s core objectives.
Apple has been ordered to remove these anti-steering restrictions and refrain from implementing equivalent measures in the future. The fine reflects the severity and duration of the infringement. However, the Commission has concluded its investigation into Apple’s obligations regarding user choice, citing the company’s early engagement on compliance solutions.
Meta has come under scrutiny for its advertising approach introduced in March 2024, which required users of Facebook and Instagram in the EU to choose between consenting to the combination of their data for targeted ads or paying a monthly fee for an ad-free experience. This binary model failed to provide a meaningful alternative that uses less personal data, as required by the DMA.
The Commission found that this ‘consent or pay’ model did not offer users a truly equivalent, privacy-friendly alternative, nor did it allow them to freely give or withhold consent. Although Meta introduced a revised advertising option in November 2024, the non-compliance decision relates specifically to the earlier version in effect between March and November.
The fine levied against Meta also takes into account the duration and seriousness of the infringement. The Commission continues to assess the revised ad model and has requested additional data from Meta to evaluate its practical impact.
In a separate decision, the Commission ruled that Facebook Marketplace no longer qualifies for designation under the DMA. The assessment was based on a request from Meta and a subsequent review of business user figures. In 2024, Marketplace had fewer than 10,000 business users, falling below the threshold that defines it as a core platform service under the regulation.
This change is attributed to enforcement actions and ongoing monitoring aimed at reducing business-to-consumer activity on the platform.
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