Meta blasts $228M EU fine as ‘unfair attack’ on U.S. tech

Meta Platforms has condemned a €200 million fine imposed by the European Union under a select set of services known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA), accusing the EU of singling out successful American companies. 

The fine, which was announced today, is one of the first enforcement actions under the DMA, which is intended to curb the market power of large digital platforms. 

“The European Commission is attempting to handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards,” Meta’s chief global affairs officer, Joel Kaplan, said in a statement. 

Meta and Apple push back as EU slaps big tech with landmark fines

The EU’s antitrust watchdog said Meta breached a requirement under the DMA to offer consumers a service that uses less of their personal data. EU antitrust regulators scrutinized the “pay or consent” model, which made Facebook and Instagram users in the EU either agree to personalized advertising or pay for an ad-free experience, and the European Commission imposed a fine on Meta in this regard. 

This led the Commission to conclude that the practice violated the DMA’s statutory provisions by limiting users’ power to consent to data use freely. ​

Meta, in turn, criticized the decision as unfair and said it was an economic burden that upends its business model. 

“This isn’t just about a fine,” Meta’s Kaplan added. “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. 

The fine against Meta is one of three parts of a €700 million penalty package, which includes a €500 million fine against Apple for blocking app developers from directing users to cheaper options beyond the App Store. 

Apple likewise criticized the European Commission, claiming the regulator is unfairly singling out the company with decisions that undermine user privacy and security, harm its products, and compel it to hand over its technology without compensation. The companies both said that they plan to challenge the fines.

The European Commission stands firm that applying the DMA is impartial, ensures equal competition, and protects consumer rights in the digital market. Officials say that all companies must comply with EU rules, no matter where they are based.

The tech industry and those who study international trade will be watching in detail how the EU’s brush with U.S. tech regulation affects global digital markets as those legal proceedings continue. ​

Chamber of Progress slams DMA fines as fuel for a trans-Atlantic tech trade war

The U.S. tech‑industry group Chamber of Progress argued that the EU’s latest penalties deepen rifts between the United States and the European Unions. Its chief, Adam Kovacevich, called the fines evidence that Europe’s real objective is to punish American firms even after they have complied fully with the rules, warning that the Digital Markets Act is turning Europe into a “digital curtain” that leaves its citizens with inferior online services and risks stoking a wider trade conflict.

Under the DMA, enforced since March 2024, six platforms—Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and ByteDance—were designated “gatekeepers” subject to extra obligations. They must not prefer their own products, merge user data across services without consent, or bar app developers from offering alternative in‑app payments.

The Commission says Meta violated these obligations by blending Facebook and Instagram user data without offering an equivalent, less personalized option. Apple, meanwhile, faces scrutiny for restricting third‑party payment routes in its App Store ecosystem.

Separate, pre‑DMA antitrust actions have already cost Apple more than $2 billion and Meta about $1.2 billion—both under appeal.

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