The European Union has imposed fines totaling 700 million on Apple and Meta, the first fines issued under the Digital Markets Act. Apple faced a 500 million penalty for limiting alternative app marketplaces on its App Store, while Meta was fined 200 million for its controversial 'consent or pay' model regarding user data. EU Commissioner Henna Virkkunen emphasized the need to protect citizen rights and innovate within Europe. The penalties arrive amidst economic tension between the US and EU, indicating heightened scrutiny of big tech firms at a critical time.
The fines are lower than some of those issued by the EU in the past but come at an extremely sensitive time, with trade tensions with the US heightened.
The case against Apple was over its App Store. The Commission says it must freely offer alternative app marketplaces to users and app developers - and says Apple was in breach of this.
Meanwhile, Meta's fine was over the way it handled cookies - the bits of code embedded into websites which gather information about users.
Commissioner Henna Virkkunen said, "We have a duty to protect the rights of citizens and innovative businesses in Europe."
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