The European Commission announced a significant fine on Apple (AAPL, Financial), amounting to €500 million (approximately $570 million), and Meta (META), totaling €200 million (around $230 million), for breaching the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The EU cited Apple's failure to comply with the DMA, which mandates that developers be allowed to inform customers about alternative products outside the App Store freely.
Apple plans to appeal the fine while continuing discussions with the European Commission. Meanwhile, Meta launched paid subscription plans for Facebook and Instagram, and the EU found the company unlawfully required users to consent to data sharing or pay for an ad-free service.
The European Commission's decision is seen as an attempt to regulate successful U.S. companies while allegedly allowing Chinese and European firms to operate under different standards.