By Alimat Aliyeva

The European Union is preparing to fine the American technology
giant Meta for violating antitrust laws, with the penalty
potentially exceeding $1 billion, Azernews reports.

According to sources, the European Commission is expected to
rule that Meta is in breach of the EU Digital Markets Act (DMA),
which aims to regulate the behavior of major tech platforms and
ensure fair competition.

Unnamed sources close to the matter indicated that the fine
could amount to hundreds of millions of dollars and may even exceed
$1 billion. The EU is expected to finalize its investigation into
Meta as early as this week and announce the measures that will be
taken against the company. Additionally, EU authorities are set to
inform Meta of the steps it must take to ensure compliance with
European legislation.

This move comes amid heightened scrutiny of tech giants in the
EU, with European regulators also investigating Apple for potential
violations of the community’s antitrust rules. Reports suggest that
Apple may face a fine in the coming week or the next, further
intensifying the regulatory pressure on U.S.-based technology firms
operating in Europe.

In recent years, the European Commission has handed down several
major antitrust decisions and imposed multibillion-dollar fines on
leading American digital corporations such as Meta, Microsoft,
Google, and Amazon. These fines have been issued for various
violations of EU competition rules, reflecting growing concerns
over the dominance of American firms in Europe’s digital market.
Critics argue that these companies, particularly in the tech and
online services sectors, exert outsized control over entire
industries, limiting competition and consumer choice.

The enforcement of the Digital Markets Act is part of the EU’s
broader effort to rein in the power of Big Tech and ensure a more
balanced and competitive digital ecosystem. As the investigation
into Meta continues, it’s clear that European regulators are taking
a firm stance against practices they believe undermine fair
competition.