EC Fines Meta €797 Million

The European Commission has fined Meta €797.72 million for breaching EU antitrust rules by tying its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook. It has also breached rules by imposing unfair trading conditions on other online classified ad service providers.

The investigation found that Meta is dominant in the market for personal social networks, which is at least European Economic Area-wide, as well as in the national markets for online display advertising on social media. In particular, the EC found that Meta abused its dominant positions in breach of Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) by tying its online classified ads service Facebook Marketplace to its personal social network Facebook and unilaterally imposing unfair trading conditions on other online classified ads service providers who advertise on Meta's platforms, in particular on Facebook and Instagram.

The EC has ordered Meta to bring the conduct effectively to an end and to refrain from repeating the infringement or from adopting practices with an equivalent object or effect in the future. In setting the level of the fine, the Commission took into account the duration and gravity of the infringement, as well as the turnover of Facebook Marketplace to which the infringements relate and which therefore defines the basic amount of the fine. In addition, the EC considered Meta's total turnover, to ensure sufficient deterrence for a company with resources as significant as Meta's.