The European Commission is imposing a heavy financial penalty on Meta, Facebook‘s parent company, citing anti-competitive practices associated with its Marketplace service. Meta faces a fine of approximately 797.72 million euros (~$841 million) following an inquiry by the European Union’s executive branch, which serves as the primary antitrust authority within the 27-member bloc.
The investigation concluded that Meta had abused its market dominance by integrating its Marketplace feature with the social networking platform Facebook. According to the Commission, this practice compelled Facebook users to encounter Marketplace services involuntarily, effectively stifling competition by limiting exposure to rival services. Furthermore, the Commission raised concerns over Meta’s terms of service, which allegedly permitted the company to leverage advertising data—sourced from competitors using Facebook or Instagram—to advantage its own Marketplace platform.
Meta says it will contest the Commission’s findings. The company asserts that the decision lacks evidence of any detrimental effect on competitors or consumers and disregards the competitive dynamics present in Europe’s online classified advertisements sector.
The European action against Meta mirrors a similar ruling in the United States against technology and online search giant Google. In August, a federal judge ruled that Google violated U.S. antitrust law, raising the possibility that the $2 trillion company could face a breakup.
