Meta Fined Millions for Antitrust Violations

The European Commission has fined Meta €798 million (about $841 million) for antitrust violations related to its Facebook Marketplace practices, accusing the company of unfairly tying classified ads to Facebook accounts and gaining an undue competitive advantage through user data collection. This fine reflects increasing scrutiny of major tech firms regarding their market practices. Additionally, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) penalized Meta ₹213.14 crore for similar abuses of dominance related to WhatsApp’s 2021 Privacy Policy, which mandated data sharing with Meta companies and removed users' opt-out options. The CCI has directed WhatsApp to refrain from sharing user data for advertising and mandated transparency and user choice regarding data sharing. Both cases highlight growing regulatory pressures on Meta as it faces accusations of exploiting its market position to stifle competition and undermine user autonomy. Meta plans to appeal the EU ruling while contending that its advertising practices comply with legal standards.