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The European Commission has imposed a €797.72 million fine on Meta, the parent company of Facebook, for breaching European Union (EU) antitrust rules. Meta was penalized for tying its classified ads platform, Facebook Marketplace, directly to its core social network, Facebook, and for creating unfair trading conditions for other online classified ad providers.
Meta, which holds a dominant position in personal social networking and social media display advertising across the European Economic Area (EEA), faced scrutiny over the alleged preferential treatment of Facebook Marketplace. This fine comes nearly two years after the EU accused the U.S. tech giant of bundling Facebook Marketplace with its social network to gain an unfair competitive edge.
A recent €15.67 million fine in South Korea for unrelated privacy violations added to Meta’s regulatory troubles. In that case, South Korea’s Personal Information Protection Commission accused Meta of unauthorized collection and sharing of user data with advertisers.
EU Investigation Findings
According to the European Commission’s Thursday statement, Meta abused its market dominance by:
Integrating Facebook Marketplace with Facebook: Facebook users are automatically provided access to Marketplace, giving it unmatched visibility and sidelining competitors.
Imposing Unfair Trading Conditions on Advertisers: Meta allegedly used data from competitors advertising on Facebook and Instagram to benefit its Marketplace platform exclusively, gaining an advantage over rival classified ad providers.
The Commission, which considered both the length and severity of Meta’s practices, determined that the fine reflects the need to deter similar conduct in the future. The ruling also requires Meta to cease these practices immediately and prevent similar conduct going forward.
EU’s Continued Tech Crackdown
Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s Executive Vice-President for competition policy, underscored the Commission’s commitment to fair competition.
“Today we fined Meta €797.72 million for abusing its dominant positions in the markets for personal social network services and for online display advertising on social media platforms,” Vestager stated.
“Meta must now stop this behaviour.”
The EU’s move is part of broader, intensified scrutiny of big tech firms to prevent monopolistic practices and promote fair competition.
Global Regulatory Momentum
Other countries have taken similar steps. In July, Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) and the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) fined Meta $220 million following an investigation into the company’s privacy policies and conduct. The Nigerian authorities highlighted infringements such as unauthorized data transfers, cross-border storage without consent, and abuse of dominance, reinforcing the international push for stronger user data protections.
These cases underline the growing global emphasis on data privacy and corporate responsibility, marking a shift in how governments worldwide regulate tech giants to uphold consumer rights and market integrity.
