EU fines Apple and Meta €700M for violating Digital Markets Act as trade tensions mount

The European Union has slapped Apple and Meta with fines totaling €700 million for violating its new digital competition law, marking one of the most aggressive moves yet under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).

On Wednesday, the European Commission said it fined Apple €500 million ($571 million) for blocking app developers from informing users about cheaper alternatives outside its App Store. This so-called “anti-steering” behavior is prohibited under the DMA, which aims to curb the dominance of Big Tech by forcing them to open up key parts of their platforms.

Regulators said Apple imposed technical and commercial limits that discouraged developers from offering better deals elsewhere. The company has been ordered to remove those restrictions and avoid repeating the same behavior in the future.

Apple said it would appeal the decision.

“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,” the company said in a statement, according to a report from CNBC.

“We have spent hundreds of thousands of engineering hours and made dozens of changes to comply with this law, none of which our users have asked for,” Apple added. “Despite countless meetings, the Commission continues to move the goal posts every step of the way.”

Meta was hit with a €200 million ($228.4 million) fine over its approach to ad targeting. Regulators said the company forced users to choose between paying for Facebook and Instagram or accepting that their data would be used for personalized ads—leaving no real alternative. That move, the Commission said, broke DMA rules on consent and choice.

Meta’s Joel Kaplan, head of global affairs, pushed back, arguing the Commission was singling out American companies.

“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,” Kaplan said. “And by unfairly restricting personalized advertising the European Commission is also hurting European businesses and economies.”

Meta has since rolled out a new version of its ad-supported service that uses less personal data. The Commission said it’s still evaluating the changes and has asked Meta to prove whether the new model actually protects users in practice. The company has 60 days to comply with a cease-and-desist order or face further penalties.

The fines come at a delicate time for global tech trade. Earlier this month, former President Donald Trump imposed a 20% tariff on EU goods, calling it a response to what he described as “overseas extortion” targeting U.S. tech firms. While the tariff rate was later cut to 10% for negotiation purposes, tensions remain high.

With these latest penalties, Brussels is making clear that it’s not backing down from enforcing the DMA—even if it puts it on a collision course with U.S. tech giants and Washington.

The news comes as Apple and Meta face growing scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic. Last week, a federal judge found Google guilty of maintaining an illegal monopoly in online ad markets, highlighting a broader crackdown on Big Tech.