EU slaps fines on Apple and Meta, risking Trump fury
By AFP
April 23, 2025
The EU fined Apple 500 million euros ($570 million) after the company prevented developers from steering customers outside its App Store to access cheaper deals - Copyright AFP/File Nicolas TUCAT
Raziye Akkoc
The EU on Wednesday slapped Apple and Meta with 700 million euros in fines for breaking digital competition rules, risking the wrath of US President Donald Trump.
The penalties threaten to cause more tension in the already fraught relationship between the bloc and Trump, as the two sides discuss a deal to avoid his sweeping tariffs on the EU.
The European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros ($570 million) after concluding the company prevented developers from steering customers outside its App Store to access cheaper deals.
The EU also fined Meta 200 million euros over its “pay or consent” system after it violated rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
The fines are the first under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect last year, forcing the world’s biggest tech firms to open up to competition in the EU.
They could rise further if Meta and Apple fail to comply within 60 days, the commission said, threatening the US giants with “periodic penalty payments”.
The EU bolstered its legal arsenal over the past two years with major twin laws, the Digital Services Act and the DMA.
But since Trump’s return to the White House, there have been concerns that the EU would shy away from enforcing them.
Trump frequently lashes out at the EU over its digital laws and taxes — claiming they are “non-tariff barriers” to trade — and many tech CEOs have aligned with his administration.
He has imposed 25-percent tariffs on steel, aluminium and auto imports from the EU, which Brussels hopes he will lift after an agreement.
Antitrust commissioner Teresa Ribera said in a statement the fines “send a strong and clear message”, insisting the bloc had taken “firm but balanced enforcement action”.
– Apple appeal –
The fines — which come after the investigations began in March 2024 — also appear to be more modest than past penalties against US Big Tech.
When Apple committed similar offences on its App Store, the commission slapped a 1.8-billion-euro fine in March 2024 under different EU rules.
Apple faces a litany of accusations. The EU also told Apple in preliminary findings it was in breach of the DMA — and therefore at risk of another hefty fine — for not making it easy for rivals to provide alternatives to its App Store.
Apple, however, slammed the decisions and said in a statement it would appeal the fine.
“Today’s announcements are yet another example of the European Commission unfairly targeting Apple in a series of decisions that are bad for the privacy and security of our users, bad for products, and force us to give away our technology for free,” the company said.
Meta accused the EU of “attempting to handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards”.
“This isn’t just about a fine; the Commission forcing us to change our business model effectively imposes a multi-billion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service,” said Meta’s chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican and Trump ally.
In a rare bit of good news for Apple, the EU closed its investigation over its user choice obligations after Apple complied with the DMA, and made it easy to select a default browser and for users to remove pre-installed apps such as Safari.
– Meta’s data use –
The fine against Meta concerned its “pay for privacy” system, which has faced fierce criticism by rights defenders in Europe after its introduction in November 2023.
It means users have to pay to avoid data collection, or agree to share their data with Facebook and Instagram to keep using the platforms for free.
But the commission concluded Meta did not provide Facebook and Instagram users a less personalised but equivalent version of the platforms, and “did not allow users to exercise their right to freely consent to the combination of their personal data”.
Meta in November last year proposed a new version, which the EU is currently assessing.
200 French media groups sue Meta over ‘unlawful’ advertising: lawyers
By AFP
April 23, 2025
Mark Zuckerberg has mounting legal problems in Europe - Copyright AFP SAUL LOEB
Around 200 French media groups, including leading television channels and newspapers, are taking legal action against Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, over its online advertising practices, their lawyers announced on Wednesday.
The social media giant is accused of “targeting advertisements based on the massive and unlawful collection of users’ personal data,” according to a statement from their lawyers, French firm Darrois and US-based Scott+Scott.
The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the company on Wednesday before the Paris commercial court, seeking “compensation for the massive economic harm … caused by the unfair business practices of the American giant.”
According to them, Meta “massively collected users’ personal data without informing them or seeking their consent,” in violation of European data protection rules.
“By exploiting this data to offer ultra-targeted advertising, Meta was able to capture the majority of advertising investments to the detriment of the media,” said the lawyers, describing this joint legal action as a “historic first.”
The list of plaintiffs includes public and private TV stations from TF1 to France Televisions, state radio broadcaster Radio France, newspapers Le Figaro and Liberation, as well as local magazine publishers.
Meta did not respond immediately when contacted by AFP.
The lawyers representing the media groups pointed out that Meta and Google dominate the online advertising market.
“Together, they account for 75 percent of the market and 90 percent of its growth,” they stated, adding that advertising makes up 98 percent of Meta’s global turnover.
“Without Meta’s unfair practices, French media outlets would have received a significantly larger share of digital advertising investment,” the lawyers argued.
The European Union slapped Meta with a 200-million-euro ($227 million) fine on Wednesday for violating rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
The fine targeted Meta’s “pay for privacy” system, which means users have to pay to avoid data collection or agree to share their data with Facebook and Instagram to keep using the platforms for free.
US urges curb of Google’s search dominance as AI looms
By AFP
April 22, 2025
Google contends the US is overreaching by asking a federal judge to order it to sell its popular Chrome web browser - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Brandon Bell
Glenn CHAPMAN
US government attorneys urged a federal judge Monday to make Google spin off its Chrome browser, arguing artificial intelligence is poised to ramp up the tech giant’s online search dominance.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) made its pitch at a hearing before District Judge Amit Mehta, who is considering “remedies” after making a landmark decision last year that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in online search.
“Nothing less than the future of the internet is at stake here,” Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater said prior to the start of the hearing in Washington.
“If Google’s conduct is not remedied, it will control much of the internet for the next decade and not just in internet search, but in new technologies like artificial intelligence.”
Google is among the tech companies investing heavily to be among the leader in AI, and is weaving the technology into search and other online offerings.
Google countered in the case that the United States has gone way beyond the scope of the suit by recommending a spinoff of its widely used Chrome, and holding open the option to force a sale of its Android mobile operating system.
The legal case focused on Google’s agreements with partners such as Apple and Samsung to distribute its search tools, noted Google president of global affairs Kent Walker.
“The DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership,” Walker wrote in a blog post.
“The DOJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision.”
The DOJ case against Google regarding its dominance in internet search was filed in 2020.
Judge Mehta ruled against Google in August 2024.
– Ad tech under fire –
Google’s battle to protect Chrome renewed just days after a different US judge ruled this month that it wielded monopoly power in the online ad technology market, in a legal blow that could rattle the tech giant’s revenue engine.
The federal government and more than a dozen US states filed the antitrust suit against Alphabet-owned Google, accusing it of acting illegally to dominate three sectors of digital advertising — publisher ad servers, advertiser tools, and ad exchanges.
The vast majority of websites use Google ad software products that, combined, leave no way for publishers to escape Google’s advertising technology, the plaintiffs alleged.
District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema agreed with most of that reasoning, ruling that Google built an illegal monopoly over ad software and tools used by publishers, but partially dismissed the argument related to tools used by advertisers.
“Google has willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open-web display advertising,” Brinkema said in her ruling.
The judge concluded that Google further entrenched its monopoly power with anticompetitive customer policies and by eliminating desirable product features.
Online advertising is the driving engine of Google’s fortune and pays for widely used online services like Maps, Gmail, and search offered free.
Money pouring into Google’s coffers also allows the Silicon Valley company to spend billions of dollars on its artificial intelligence efforts.
Combined, the courtroom defeats have the potential to leave Google split up and its influence curbed.
Google said it is appealing both rulings.
By AFP
April 23, 2025
The EU fined Apple 500 million euros ($570 million) after the company prevented developers from steering customers outside its App Store to access cheaper deals - Copyright AFP/File Nicolas TUCAT
Raziye Akkoc
The EU on Wednesday slapped Apple and Meta with 700 million euros in fines for breaking digital competition rules, risking the wrath of US President Donald Trump.
The penalties threaten to cause more tension in the already fraught relationship between the bloc and Trump, as the two sides discuss a deal to avoid his sweeping tariffs on the EU.
The European Commission fined Apple 500 million euros ($570 million) after concluding the company prevented developers from steering customers outside its App Store to access cheaper deals.
The EU also fined Meta 200 million euros over its “pay or consent” system after it violated rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
The fines are the first under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which came into effect last year, forcing the world’s biggest tech firms to open up to competition in the EU.
They could rise further if Meta and Apple fail to comply within 60 days, the commission said, threatening the US giants with “periodic penalty payments”.
The EU bolstered its legal arsenal over the past two years with major twin laws, the Digital Services Act and the DMA.
But since Trump’s return to the White House, there have been concerns that the EU would shy away from enforcing them.
Trump frequently lashes out at the EU over its digital laws and taxes — claiming they are “non-tariff barriers” to trade — and many tech CEOs have aligned with his administration.
He has imposed 25-percent tariffs on steel, aluminium and auto imports from the EU, which Brussels hopes he will lift after an agreement.
Antitrust commissioner Teresa Ribera said in a statement the fines “send a strong and clear message”, insisting the bloc had taken “firm but balanced enforcement action”.
– Apple appeal –
The fines — which come after the investigations began in March 2024 — also appear to be more modest than past penalties against US Big Tech.
When Apple committed similar offences on its App Store, the commission slapped a 1.8-billion-euro fine in March 2024 under different EU rules.
Apple faces a litany of accusations. The EU also told Apple in preliminary findings it was in breach of the DMA — and therefore at risk of another hefty fine — for not making it easy for rivals to provide alternatives to its App Store.
Apple, however, slammed the decisions and said in a statement it would appeal the fine.
“Today’s announcements are yet another example of the European Commission unfairly targeting Apple in a series of decisions that are bad for the privacy and security of our users, bad for products, and force us to give away our technology for free,” the company said.
Meta accused the EU of “attempting to handicap successful American businesses while allowing Chinese and European companies to operate under different standards”.
“This isn’t just about a fine; the Commission forcing us to change our business model effectively imposes a multi-billion-dollar tariff on Meta while requiring us to offer an inferior service,” said Meta’s chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican and Trump ally.
In a rare bit of good news for Apple, the EU closed its investigation over its user choice obligations after Apple complied with the DMA, and made it easy to select a default browser and for users to remove pre-installed apps such as Safari.
– Meta’s data use –
The fine against Meta concerned its “pay for privacy” system, which has faced fierce criticism by rights defenders in Europe after its introduction in November 2023.
It means users have to pay to avoid data collection, or agree to share their data with Facebook and Instagram to keep using the platforms for free.
But the commission concluded Meta did not provide Facebook and Instagram users a less personalised but equivalent version of the platforms, and “did not allow users to exercise their right to freely consent to the combination of their personal data”.
Meta in November last year proposed a new version, which the EU is currently assessing.
200 French media groups sue Meta over ‘unlawful’ advertising: lawyers
By AFP
April 23, 2025
Mark Zuckerberg has mounting legal problems in Europe - Copyright AFP SAUL LOEB
Around 200 French media groups, including leading television channels and newspapers, are taking legal action against Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, over its online advertising practices, their lawyers announced on Wednesday.
The social media giant is accused of “targeting advertisements based on the massive and unlawful collection of users’ personal data,” according to a statement from their lawyers, French firm Darrois and US-based Scott+Scott.
The plaintiffs filed a lawsuit against the company on Wednesday before the Paris commercial court, seeking “compensation for the massive economic harm … caused by the unfair business practices of the American giant.”
According to them, Meta “massively collected users’ personal data without informing them or seeking their consent,” in violation of European data protection rules.
“By exploiting this data to offer ultra-targeted advertising, Meta was able to capture the majority of advertising investments to the detriment of the media,” said the lawyers, describing this joint legal action as a “historic first.”
The list of plaintiffs includes public and private TV stations from TF1 to France Televisions, state radio broadcaster Radio France, newspapers Le Figaro and Liberation, as well as local magazine publishers.
Meta did not respond immediately when contacted by AFP.
The lawyers representing the media groups pointed out that Meta and Google dominate the online advertising market.
“Together, they account for 75 percent of the market and 90 percent of its growth,” they stated, adding that advertising makes up 98 percent of Meta’s global turnover.
“Without Meta’s unfair practices, French media outlets would have received a significantly larger share of digital advertising investment,” the lawyers argued.
The European Union slapped Meta with a 200-million-euro ($227 million) fine on Wednesday for violating rules on the use of personal data on Facebook and Instagram.
The fine targeted Meta’s “pay for privacy” system, which means users have to pay to avoid data collection or agree to share their data with Facebook and Instagram to keep using the platforms for free.
US urges curb of Google’s search dominance as AI looms
By AFP
April 22, 2025
Google contends the US is overreaching by asking a federal judge to order it to sell its popular Chrome web browser - Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP Brandon Bell
Glenn CHAPMAN
US government attorneys urged a federal judge Monday to make Google spin off its Chrome browser, arguing artificial intelligence is poised to ramp up the tech giant’s online search dominance.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) made its pitch at a hearing before District Judge Amit Mehta, who is considering “remedies” after making a landmark decision last year that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in online search.
“Nothing less than the future of the internet is at stake here,” Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater said prior to the start of the hearing in Washington.
“If Google’s conduct is not remedied, it will control much of the internet for the next decade and not just in internet search, but in new technologies like artificial intelligence.”
Google is among the tech companies investing heavily to be among the leader in AI, and is weaving the technology into search and other online offerings.
Google countered in the case that the United States has gone way beyond the scope of the suit by recommending a spinoff of its widely used Chrome, and holding open the option to force a sale of its Android mobile operating system.
The legal case focused on Google’s agreements with partners such as Apple and Samsung to distribute its search tools, noted Google president of global affairs Kent Walker.
“The DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership,” Walker wrote in a blog post.
“The DOJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision.”
The DOJ case against Google regarding its dominance in internet search was filed in 2020.
Judge Mehta ruled against Google in August 2024.
– Ad tech under fire –
Google’s battle to protect Chrome renewed just days after a different US judge ruled this month that it wielded monopoly power in the online ad technology market, in a legal blow that could rattle the tech giant’s revenue engine.
The federal government and more than a dozen US states filed the antitrust suit against Alphabet-owned Google, accusing it of acting illegally to dominate three sectors of digital advertising — publisher ad servers, advertiser tools, and ad exchanges.
The vast majority of websites use Google ad software products that, combined, leave no way for publishers to escape Google’s advertising technology, the plaintiffs alleged.
District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema agreed with most of that reasoning, ruling that Google built an illegal monopoly over ad software and tools used by publishers, but partially dismissed the argument related to tools used by advertisers.
“Google has willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open-web display advertising,” Brinkema said in her ruling.
The judge concluded that Google further entrenched its monopoly power with anticompetitive customer policies and by eliminating desirable product features.
Online advertising is the driving engine of Google’s fortune and pays for widely used online services like Maps, Gmail, and search offered free.
Money pouring into Google’s coffers also allows the Silicon Valley company to spend billions of dollars on its artificial intelligence efforts.
Combined, the courtroom defeats have the potential to leave Google split up and its influence curbed.
Google said it is appealing both rulings.
Trial testimony reveals OpenAI interest in Chrome: reports
By AFP
April 22, 2025
Image: © Digital Journal
OpenAI is ready to buy Chrome if Google is forced to sell its popular browser as part of antitrust trial, a top executive testified Tuesday, according to media reports.
OpenAI product manager Nick Turley revealed the startup’s interest in the world’s most popular internet browser while testifying in court in Washington DC.
Turley spoke in front of a judge who will decide what remedies to impose on Google after making a landmark decision last year that the tech giant maintained an illegal monopoly in online search.
US government attorneys have urged Judge Amit Mehta to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser, arguing artificial intelligence is poised to ramp up the tech giant’s online search dominance.
Google countered in the case that the US government has gone way beyond the scope of the suit by recommending it be forced to sell Chrome and holding open the option to force a sale of its Android mobile operating system.
The legal case focused on Google’s agreements with partners such as Apple and Samsung to distribute its search tools, noted Google president of global affairs Kent Walker.
“The DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership,” Walker wrote in a blog post.
“The DOJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision.”
A Bloomberg analyst has estimated the price of Chrome browser, which has more than three billion users, at $15 billion or more.
Turley said during his testimony that OpenAI had approached Google about integrating its search technology into ChatGPT artificial intelligence power digital assistant but was rebuffed, according to media reports.
Google is among the tech companies investing heavily to be among the leaders in AI, and is weaving the technology into search and other online offerings.
The DOJ case against Google regarding its dominance in internet search was filed in 2020.
Mehta ruled against Google in August 2024 and the tech giant has appealed.
By AFP
April 22, 2025
Image: © Digital Journal
OpenAI is ready to buy Chrome if Google is forced to sell its popular browser as part of antitrust trial, a top executive testified Tuesday, according to media reports.
OpenAI product manager Nick Turley revealed the startup’s interest in the world’s most popular internet browser while testifying in court in Washington DC.
Turley spoke in front of a judge who will decide what remedies to impose on Google after making a landmark decision last year that the tech giant maintained an illegal monopoly in online search.
US government attorneys have urged Judge Amit Mehta to force Google to sell off its Chrome browser, arguing artificial intelligence is poised to ramp up the tech giant’s online search dominance.
Google countered in the case that the US government has gone way beyond the scope of the suit by recommending it be forced to sell Chrome and holding open the option to force a sale of its Android mobile operating system.
The legal case focused on Google’s agreements with partners such as Apple and Samsung to distribute its search tools, noted Google president of global affairs Kent Walker.
“The DOJ chose to push a radical interventionist agenda that would harm Americans and America’s global technology leadership,” Walker wrote in a blog post.
“The DOJ’s wildly overbroad proposal goes miles beyond the Court’s decision.”
A Bloomberg analyst has estimated the price of Chrome browser, which has more than three billion users, at $15 billion or more.
Turley said during his testimony that OpenAI had approached Google about integrating its search technology into ChatGPT artificial intelligence power digital assistant but was rebuffed, according to media reports.
Google is among the tech companies investing heavily to be among the leaders in AI, and is weaving the technology into search and other online offerings.
The DOJ case against Google regarding its dominance in internet search was filed in 2020.
Mehta ruled against Google in August 2024 and the tech giant has appealed.
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