The European Union (EU) is reportedly planning to impose only the minimum fines on American companies Apple and Meta, mindful of U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 28th (local time), EU regulators, after investigating violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) by Apple and Meta, have decided to impose fines significantly lower than the legal maximum of up to 10% of global revenue.
FT reported that this decision is expected to be announced next week, although the timing may be adjusted.
Apple is expected to receive a corrective order to change its App Store rules along with a fine. EU authorities have been investigating whether Apple prevented app developers from directing customers outside the Apple platform.
The investigation into whether Apple’s operating system was designed to make switching to other operating systems or search engines difficult is unlikely to result in additional sanctions, as Apple has attempted to comply with the law by changing related regulations.
Meta is expected to receive a corrective order to change its "pay or consent" model, where users must either agree to data tracking or pay a subscription fee to avoid ads, along with a fine.
According to officials, the reason the EU intends to impose relatively low fines is that the DMA is a recently implemented law and there is a risk of legal litigation.
Additionally, EU authorities are reportedly focusing more on ensuring that big tech companies comply with the law rather than imposing hefty fines.
It is also an attempt to avoid direct confrontation with the United States. President Trump has criticized foreign regulatory agencies for imposing fines on American tech companies, calling it taxation and foreign plundering.
He has also threatened to impose tariffs if digital service taxes are levied on U.S. companies.
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