EU Fines Meta $840 Million for Antitrust Violations

The European Commission has imposed a €797.72 million ($840 million) fine on Meta for breaching EU antitrust rules by tying its classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, to its social network, Facebook. The Commission found that this practice provided Meta an unfair competitive advantage and imposed unreasonable trading conditions on other classified ad providers. Margrethe Vestager, the EU's competition chief, stated that Meta's actions are illegal under EU antitrust laws, as all Facebook users are exposed to Marketplace regardless of their intent. Meta plans to appeal the decision, arguing that it does not reflect competitive harm and overlooks the vibrant market for online classified ads. The fine is one of the largest ever imposed by the EU and highlights ongoing scrutiny of major tech companies for anti-competitive practices. The Commission has mandated that Meta cease these behaviors and refrain from similar practices in the future.