Extract from Linda A. Thompson’s article “Apple and Meta Hit With €500M, €200M Fines Under Digital Markets Act”
Apple and Meta have been hit with the first-ever fines under the Digital Markets Act, a relatively new European law aimed at curbing tech giants’ monopolies in the digital space.
Apple was issued a €500 million fine for breaching the law’s obligation to allow app developers to tell users about alternative offers outside the App Store. EU officials also slapped Meta with a €200 million penalty failing to adhere to the law’s requirement to give consumers the choice of a service that uses less of their personal data. Apple and Meta are required to comply with the decisions within 60 days, or face further daily fines.
“The Commission’s action sends a clear message to Big Tech platforms: defaults that nudge users toward invasive data processing, or commercial models that exploit information asymmetries, will no longer escape accountability,” Nathalie Moreno, a London-based partner at Kennedys said in an email statement. “It marks the end of the “take-it-or-leave-it” paradigm that has long characterised Big Tech’s approach to consent and choice.”
