Big Tech fined more than $7 billion by EU in past two years
The Trump administration is increasingly on a collision course with the European Union over Big Tech fines.
Google, Apple And Meta Fines totaling more than 6 billion euros, or $7 billion, since the beginning of 2024 are being challenged from the EU for violations of the bloc’s antitrust and competition laws.
They are a matter of growing debate as both the companies and the White House say the fines reflect the bloc’s hostility to innovation, while the EU told CNBC that its hard line is to ensure companies make decisions that benefit consumers.
Six penalties have been imposed since 2024:
- March 2024: Apple was fined €1.84 billion under antitrust rules for abusing its dominant market position in the distribution of music streaming apps.
- November 2024: Meta was fined €797 million under antitrust rules for practices that benefited Facebook Marketplace.
- September 2025: Google was fined €2.9 billion under antitrust rules for anti-competitive practices in its ad tech business.
- April 2025: Apple fined €500 million for failing to comply with “anti-spoofing” obligations. Meta fined €200 million under the Digital Market Act To ask users to consent to sharing their data with the company or paying for an ad-free service.
- December 2025: X was fined €120 million under the Digital Services Act for breaching its transparency obligations.
“All companies doing business in the EU are responsible to the European people and must respect the rules intended to protect them,” a Commission spokesperson told CNBC, adding that the penalties would only relate to the conduct of firms’ operations in Europe that violate EU rules.
Donald Trump’s administration has a different view.
He stepped up his criticism of the bloc, accusing it of over-regulating tech companies and jeopardizing Europe’s ability to benefit from the rise of artificial intelligence.
US administration interventions
In February, Trump signed a deal. memorandum He stated that the US would “consider tariffs to combat digital services taxes (DSTs), fines, enforcement and policies imposed by foreign governments on American companies.”
Fines imposed on US companies are the biggest source of friction in economic relations between the EU and the US, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth Jacob Helberg told reporters last week, Reuters reported. reported.
This is not a new point of tension; Helberg also said the EU has imposed more than 30 fines on US technology companies. 25 billion dollars in the last twenty years.
“If the European Union is going to join the AI economy… They’re going to need access to data centers, they’re going to need data, they’re going to need access to the United States AI hardware stack, and you can’t over-regulate and change the target in the regulations and impose huge fines on companies,” U.S. Ambassador to the EU Andrew Puzder told Ian King on CNBC’s “Europe Early Edition” on March 27.
When contacted for comment on how the EU’s Big Tech fines affect US-European relations, a US Commerce Department spokesperson told CNBC: November interview With Secretary Howard Lutnick. “Let’s solve outstanding cases,” he told Bloomberg. “Let’s leave them behind.”
Europe is resisting
On the other side of the Atlantic, opinion is divided.
“Fines imposed under EU competition law, the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act serve firstly as a punishment for breaching EU law, and secondly as a deterrent against reoffending by the company in question and to ensure respect for those EU laws by deterring infringements by other market operators,” a Commission spokesperson told CNBC.
Europe walks the line between being dependent on US tech firms for much of its digital infrastructure; but governments Trying to diversify technology suppliers and develop independent alternatives and ensure that these companies comply with the rules.
The spokesman added that fines were a “last resort” when attempts to achieve an amicable outcome failed.
Many changes were made with impunity, they said. The commission spokesman added that Apple allowed its rivals’ connected devices, such as smartwatches, to work more seamlessly with iPhones after the EU launched official proceedings under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in March 2025 without resorting to fines.
Apple told CNBC that the DMA discourages innovation, weakens privacy protections, delays or degrades product launches, and increases security risks. He did not comment on the EU’s claim that it had changed its processes in response to the DMA proceedings.
fines
Companies sometimes change their behavior “only after receiving a fine,” a Commission spokesperson told CNBC.
It was stated that Meta changed its “payment or consent” offer to Facebook and Instagram users in 2025 after it was fined 200 million euros due to the DMA’s non-compliance decision. The commission said the company will start offering the new service to users in early 2026. December declaration.
When asked for comment, Meta referred CNBC to comments from Director of Global Affairs Joel Kaplan.
Kaplan stated at the time that the EU’s fine was “an attempt to hinder successful American businesses” and added that “this fine effectively imposes a multibillion-dollar tariff on Meta and also requires us to provide a lower quality service.”
The EU did not collect the full amount from the companies in question as the 6 billion euro fine was challenged in court, However, fines must be covered by provisional payments or financial guarantees by law.
The European Commission also has several ongoing investigations into Big Tech companies in the US.
In February, the Commission told Meta that it planned to impose “interim measures” to prevent third-party AI assistants from being excluded from WhatsApp as part of an ongoing investigation into the company.
The EU also launched a formal investigation in March into whether Snap-owned social media platform Snapchat complies with the Digital Services Act on child safety online.
