European Union Slaps Hefty Fines on Apple and Meta Over Digital Rules

Prime Highlights

Apple and Meta have been collectively fined €700 million by the European Union under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
These are the first significant fines under the DMA for anti-competitive practices of tech giants.

Key Facts

Apple was fined €500 million for limiting app developers from directing users to cheaper options outside the App Store.
Meta was fined €200 million for coercing users to pay or to accept data tracking for ads.

Key Background

On April 23, 2025, the European Commission levied historic fines against Apple and Meta for breaching conditions of the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA, which became operational in 2024, was drafted to promote fair competition by implementing the procedures of giant digital “gatekeepers.” The new fines are the latest sign that the EU will hold the digital giants accountable while promoting consumer freedom.

Apple’s €500m fine is attributable to its ongoing App Store business practice, in which it kept developers from making customers aware of alternative purchasing paths. This put customers in their power to limit payments outside of the app to enable Apple to take commissions and dictate terms of the deals. The Commission ruled that this anti-competitive behaviour harmed competition and innovation, and ordered Apple to modify its policy within the next six months.

Meta, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, was fined €200 million for its pay-for-or-consent advertisement model, which was controversial. Rolled out in November 2024, the model prompted users to provide consent to the sharing of their data for targeted ads or pay to enjoy an ad-free platform. The Commission held that the model infringed users’ right to provide free consent, one of the cardinal principles of EU data protection legislation.

Both firms criticized the fines and said they plan to appeal. Apple said that the decision was unfair and took no account of attempts to enforce EU regulations, while Meta declared the fine unjustified economic interference that would hurt European businesses and consumers. Such measures have raised again the cold war between the EU and America, with the critics warning against such regulation damping innovation. Despite this, EU lawmakers think it is necessary, balanced, and equitable to impose the DMA so as to balance digital markets in the interest of consumers and small competitors.