EU Plans Meta Antitrust Fine

The EU plans to impose an antitrust fine against Meta Platforms for connecting its Marketplace classified advertisements with the social media network Facebook. The possible fine stems from the European Commission alleging in 2022 that Meta gained an unfair advantage by bundling Marketplace and Facebook.

The EC also accused Meta of abusing its dominance by imposing unfair trading conditions on competing online classified advertising services that advertise on Facebook and Instagram. A Meta representative said the EC’s claims are without foundation. “We continue to work constructively with regulatory authorities to demonstrate that our product innovation is pro-consumer and pro-competitive,” they said.

The EC will possibly announce its decision ahead of the departure of antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in November, but the timeframe is not certain. The Commission can impose a fine worth up to 10% of a tech giant’s global turnover. Earlier this month, the EC outlined preliminary findings that Meta's pay or consent advertising model breaches its Digital Markets Act rules.