Violations of EU rules: supposedly only low punishments for Apple and Meta

Apple and Meta are the first penalties for alleged violations of the EU Act on Digital Markets (Digital Markets Act, DMA). Competitional authorities will instruct Apple to change certain app store rules and impose a “minimal” punishment against the group. The Financial Times reports on Friday People familiar with the decision. Meta must be “agreed or pay” model and should also pay a punishment in a manageable amount.

High penalties for DMA violations on paper

In the investigations, the EU Commission had temporarily found that the corporations violated the new rules with its practices. Apple is about the possibility for app providers and developers to link the app to a cheaper shopping option on the web. At META it was said by the regulators that the choice between payment or approval for the use of personal data was not compatible with the DMA.

For regular violations against the DMA, the EU Commission provides for penalty payments in the amount of 10 percent of the global turnover of the corporations classified as a gatekeeper, even more in the event of repeated violations. With the exception of the Tikok operator bytedance, the gatekeons only include US companies, namely Apple, Meta, Amazon Microsoft and Alphabet. A penalty of such height could reach up to $ 36 billion at Apple.

New rules shake on Apple’s and Metas business models

With “minimal punishment” Brussels is now rehearsing the balancing act between the enforcement of the digital market act and avoiding a larger collision with the Trump government, the business newspaper writes. Trump had already threatened further punitive tariffs several times. The recently newly formed EU Commission is also more important to comply with the rules than imposing huge punishments, according to the Financial Times.

For Apple and Meta, the expected arrangements-even with a low level of penalty-threaten fundamental business models that have brought billions so far: Apple is finally concerned with the lucrative commission of in-app purchases, at META about targeted advertising starry.