ALBAWABA – The European Union (EU), a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states primarily located in Europe, has announced a fine of approximately $797 million against Apple and Meta, two American multinational technology companies, for violating the Digital Services Act.
European Union fines Apple and Meta
Notably, Apple was fined approximately $570 million, while Meta received a $228 million fine for violating the Digital Services Act. The European Union (EU) issued these penalties as part of its efforts to prevent major tech companies from accumulating excessive power.
According to experts, these sanctions and fines are likely to cause major tensions between the European Union (EU) and the Trump administration, as the US President Donald Trump previously warned of imposing tariffs on any country that penalizes American companies with sanctions.
It is worth noting that this decision came after the European Union and the European Commission conducted a detailed investigation that lasted for a full year. Both Meta and Apple criticized the decision immediately.
"We have taken firm but balanced enforcement action against both companies, based on clear and predictable rules," the Commission said.
The decision came after the European Union and the European Commission conducted a detailed investigation that lasted for a full year. (Shutterstock)
As a response to the announced fine and sanctions, Apple stated: “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.”
On the other hand, Meta announced: "The European Commission is attempting to handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards. This isn't just about a fine; the Commission forcing us to change our business model, effectively imposing a multi-billion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service.”
The two companies have two months to make changes to certain features, including Apple’s technical and commercial restrictions that prevent app developers from offering cheaper deals outside the App Store, and Meta’s binary pay-or-consent model. If they fail to comply within the two-month deadline, they will be subject to additional fines and sanctions imposed by the EU.
