By VK 
Apple and Meta Fined €700 Million by the EU —
On April 23, 2025, the European Union fined Apple and Meta (the company behind
Facebook and Instagram) a combined €700 million for breaking new tech rules in Europe.
What did they do wrong?
Apple — fined €500 million
Apple was fined because it didn’t let app makers tell users about cheaper ways to pay outside
the App Store.
For example, if you wanted to buy something from an app, Apple didn’t allow the app to say
“hey, you can get this cheaper on our website.”
That’s a big no-no under the EU’s new law.
Meta (Facebook, Instagram) — fined €200 million
Meta got fined for making users choose between seeing personalized ads or paying
money to use the apps without ads.
The EU says that kind of “take it or leave it” choice is not fair — users should be able to say no to
ads without having to pay.
How did Apple and Meta respond?
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Apple said the fine is unfair and could mess with user privacy and product quality. They claim they’ve already made lots of changes to follow the rules.
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Meta said the EU is being too harsh and only going after big American companies, while ignoring others. They think the rule isn’t fair for their business.
What’s this new law anyway?
It’s called the Digital Markets Act (DMA) — a new rule in Europe that started in March
2024.
It’s meant to stop huge tech companies from having too much control and to give users and
smaller businesses more freedom.
So what now?
Apple and Meta have 60 days to fix the issues and follow the rules.
If they don’t, the EU might hit them with even bigger fines.
In short:
The EU is telling big tech companies like Apple and Meta:
“Play fair — or pay the price.”