The EU is not letting up in its crusade against Big Tech for their violations of EU law. Apple is now in the EU’s sights, according to a Reuter’s report, where the Cupertino company could face a modest fine by the EU for alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Modest fines coming to Apple
This is not the first time we’ve heard that the EU plans to fine Apple. The EU’s competition Chief, Teresa Ribera, was said to have a ruling ready by the end of March. It looks like she is right on track. The Reuters report does not mention how much is the fine, so we’ll have to wait and see. However, given Apple’s vast resources, we doubt it will feel the pinch.
If Apple really is faced with a fine, we imagine that Spotify will be thrilled. The music streaming giant’s CEO, Daniel Ek, had recently advocated for the EU to rule against Apple for what he called a “farce” of compliance. Apple had previously argued that it had complied with EU law, despite the criticism that Apple hasn’t really done much to satisfy the DMA’s legal demands or intent.
Apple isn’t the only US company to face a fine. The report adds that Meta will face similar fines for its alleged DMA violations. Meta is also arguing that it has complied with the law, but says it continues to receive demands from regulators that “go beyond” the law.
Trump’s reaction
It is also going to be interesting to see how US President Donald Trump reacts to these fines. While the EU is outside of Trump’s jurisdiction, the President has been vocal about how the EU is “targeting” US tech companies. As we previously said, it does feel that way, but it shouldn’t be surprising either.
A lot of the technology we use today comes from the US. The iPhone and Android? Apple and Google. Internet search? Google. Social media? Meta and X. Electric cars? Tesla. So it shouldn’t be a complete surprise that these companies often find themselves in the crosshairs of regulators who feel that they might have gotten a bit too big and bold.
2025-03-11 15:04:55