The European Union has fined Meta €797.72 million (approximately $840 million) for breaching antitrust laws related to its Facebook Marketplace service.
The EU’s competition watchdog accused Meta of abusing its dominant market position by automatically granting Facebook users access to Marketplace, giving the platform an unfair advantage over rival classified ad services.
Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner, stated, “This is illegal under EU antitrust rules. Meta must now stop this behavior.”
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The fine is one of the largest antitrust penalties ever imposed by the EU and highlights the increasing regulatory scrutiny on major tech companies.
Meta has vowed to appeal the decision, arguing that it misrepresents the competitive environment in Europe.
The company emphasized that Facebook users have the option to engage with Marketplace, and many choose not to.
The EU Commission argued that Facebook’s integration of Marketplace into its platform exposed users to the service automatically, regardless of their preference, thus unfairly favoring the service over competitors.
Additionally, Meta was accused of using ad-related data from other advertisers to benefit Marketplace, which the company denies, saying it has implemented safeguards to prevent such practices.
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The fine reflects the “duration and gravity” of the violations, according to the European Commission.
With Meta’s annual revenue reaching approximately $135 billion, this penalty is part of the EU’s ongoing effort to regulate Big Tech, particularly with the introduction of new laws like the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act.
Earlier this year, Meta faced accusations of breaching digital rules by imposing a “pay or consent” system, forcing users to either pay to avoid data collection or consent to share personal information.
Meta’s response included lowering subscription rates for ad-free services and introducing less targeted ads for users in the EU as part of their efforts to comply with the new regulations.