The €798 million antitrust fine is the first for Meta, adding to a €110 million penalty in 2017 for failing to supply correct information during the EU’s merger review of the WhatsApp takeover. The Commission said Meta is the dominant player for personal social networks across the EU as well as national markets for online display ads on social media.
Meta will challenge the EU fine, it said in a blog post.
“We will comply, and will work quickly and constructively to launch a solution which addresses the points raised,” it said.
“It is disappointing that the Commission has chosen to take regulatory action against a free and innovative service built to meet consumer demand, particularly when senior European political figures are calling for the EU to be more competitive, innovative and forward-thinking,” it said.
Meta rivals complained that the firm unfairly linked its Marketplace online classified ads service to its social network and was using non-public advertising data to optimize Marketplace. The Commission opened an investigation in June 2021.
The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority last year ended its similar probe into Meta after the company agreed to change the way it uses advertisers’ data.
