The European Commission has fined Apple and Meta a total of $800 million (around €700 million) for not following the rules under the Digital Markets Act.
The law was created to prevent big tech companies from controlling digital markets unfairly. Apple has been fined $570 million (€500 million) for blocking developers from guiding users to cheaper payment options outside its App Store.
Developers were not allowed to clearly show users that they could pay less elsewhere, and Apple even used warning screens that discouraged them from leaving the App Store. This, according to the Commission, broke the rules of the DMA.
Meta, on the other hand, has been fined $230 million (€200 million) for its “Consent or Pay” approach.
The company had offered Facebook and Instagram users two options: either allow personal data tracking for ads or pay a monthly fee to avoid ads. But EU regulators said this didn’t count as a real choice. Under the DMA, users should be able to refuse data tracking without having to pay.
“The fine imposed on Apple and Meta takes into account the gravity and duration of the non-compliance”, the European Commission added.
Both tech giants now have 60 days to fix their systems or risk further penalties, which is a periodic penalty payment on top of the fines.