EU fines Apple and Meta for breaching fair competition rules

The European Commission has fined Apple €500m and Meta €200m for breaching EU rules on fair competition and user choice under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). These penalties follow Apple's restrictions on app developers from using alternative platforms, and Meta's "consent or pay" model, which violated privacy regulations by forcing users to choose between advertising consent or a paid ad-free service. The fines are below 10% of the companies' global turnover, with Apple earning $391bn in its last financial year, while both firms have expressed plans to appeal their fines, highlighting potential conflicts over regulatory enforcement and user privacy.