The European commitment on Wednesday, April 23, slapped Apple and a goal with 700 million euros in fines for breaking the rules of digital competition. The Europe commissioned Apple € 500 million ($ 570 million) after concluding that the company prevented the developers from going to customers outside their application store accessed cheaper agreements. Meta also advanced € 200 million on its “salary or consent” system after violating the rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
They could increase even more if Meta and Apple do not meet within 60 days, the commission said, threatening US giants with “periodic penalty payments.” The fines are the first under the Law of Digital Markets (DMA), which entered into force last year, which forces the world’s largest technological firms to open up to competition in the EU.
The EU reinforced its legal arsenal in the last two years with the main twin laws, the Digital Services Law and the DMA. But since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, there have been concerns that the EU shuns to enforce them. The sanctions threaten to cause more tension in the already tense relationship between the block and Trump, since the two parties discuss an agreement to avoid their tariffs in the EU.
Trump frequently attacks EU on his digital laws and taxes that reward that they are “non -tariff barriers” for trade and many technology CEO have aligned themselves with their administration. He has imposed 25% tariffs on Ele’s steel, aluminum and cars imports, which Brussels hopes to raise after an agreement.
The antimonopoly commissioner Teresa Ribera said in a statement that the fines “send a strong and clear message,” insisting that the block had tasks “firm but balanced application action.”
Apple appeal
The fines, which occur after the investigations blessed in March 2024, also seem to be more modest than what fits penalties against the great American technology. When Apple committed similar crimes in its App Store, the Commission slapped a fine of € 1.8 billion in March 2024 under different EU rules.
Apple faces a litany of accusations. The EU also told Apple in the preliminary findings that breached the DMA and, therefore, at risk of another hindered fine, for not facilitating the rivals to provide alternatives to their application store.
New
Le Monde application
Take advantage of your experience: download the application to enjoy Le Monde in English anywhere, at any time
Discharge
Apple, however, criticized decisions and said in a statement that would appeal the fine. “Today’s ads are another example of the European Commission unfairly directed to Apple in a series of decisions that are bad for the privacy and safety of our users, bad for products and force us to give free dawn technology,” the company “, the company”, the company “, the company”, the company “, the company”, the company “, the company.
Goal accused the EU or “trying to harm successful American companies while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards.”
“It is not just a fine; the commission forces us to change our business model effectively imposes a multimillionaire tariff in the finish line while demanding us to sacrifice a lower service,” said the main offices of world matters of Meta, all Joel Kaellan.
The fine against Meta referred to its “Payment for Privacy” system, which has faced a fierce criticism by the defenders of rights in Europe after its introduction in November 2023. It means the free data of their free data use their free free data data.
But the commission concluded that Meta did not provide Facebook and Instagrad users with a less personalized but equivalent version of the platforms, and “did not allow users to exercise their right to completely consent to the combination of personal data.” Goal in November last year proposed a new version, which the EU is currently evaluating.
In a strange good news for Apple, the EU closed its research on its OSS choice obligations after Apple complied with the DMA, and facilitated the selection of a default browser and for users to eliminate pre -installed applications such as Safari.
]
