From CNET: The EU's crackdown on Big Tech began in earnest on Wednesday, as the European Commission issued the first fines under the Digital Markets Act, a piece of regulation designed to keep major players in the technology world from abusing their dominant position in the industry.
Apple's fine, the bigger of the two, totals 500 million euros ($570 million), and follows an investigation into whether the company has been preventing customers from viewing and accessing offers that could save them money — cheaper streaming subscriptions, for instance — if they paid outside of its App Store ecosystem. The European Commission found that Apple prevents app developers from informing people about cheaper ways to pay, and has ordered the company to change this practice.
Meta, meanwhile, has received a fine of 200 million euros ($228 million), due to the fact it provides people in Europe with a binary choice to either use Meta's platforms — including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — for free and accept the company will combine your data across services, or pay a premium to ensure an ad-free experience in which your data is kept separate.
Since the European Commission initially told Meta this model did not comply with the DMA, the company introduced new practices that provide people with more choice over how their data is used. But the company has still received a fine for its previous model.
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