The European Commission has fined Apple €500 million and Meta €200 million for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA), marking the first official non-compliance decisions under the law since it came into effect in March 2024.
Apple: Breach of Anti-Steering Obligations
According to the Commission’s April 22 press release, Apple violated the DMA by preventing app developers from directing users to alternative purchase channels outside the App Store. Under the DMA, developers must be allowed to inform consumers about external purchasing options without restrictions.
The Commission found that Apple’s restrictions were neither necessary nor proportionate, and ordered the company to eliminate such limitations. The fine reflects the gravity and duration of non-compliance.
Apple responded:
“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.” (Source: Reuters)
Meta: Breach of Data Consent Model Requirements
Meta was fined for failing to provide an appropriate alternative to users who declined consent for personalized advertising. Between March and November 2024, Meta offered a binary choice—either agree to share personal data for ads or pay for an ad-free experience.
The Commission concluded that this “Consent or Pay” model did not offer users a valid low-data alternative, as required by the DMA.
Joel Kaplan, Chief Global Affairs Officer at Meta, stated on LinkedIn:
“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 imposes a multi-billion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service. And by unfairly restricting personalized advertising the European Commission is also hurting European businesses and economies.” (Source: LinkedIn)
Next Steps
Apple and Meta have 60 days to comply with the Commission’s decisions. Failure to do so could lead to additional periodic penalties.
More details are available in the official Commission press release:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_1085
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