Apple faces first EU fine under Digital Markets Act

Potential EU penalty for antitrust breaches.
Apple was fined €150 million for allegedly misusing its market power with the App Tracking Transparency tool, but no changes were required to the tool itself.

Apple is set to face its first fine under the European Union‘s Digital Markets Act (DMA) for breaching the bloc’s antitrust regulations, according to sources familiar with the matter. This comes after EU regulators charged Apple in June for violating the new tech rules, which are designed to curb the dominance of big tech companies. The fine, expected to be imposed later this month, adds to Apple’s ongoing antitrust challenges in the EU.

In March, Apple was hit with a €1.84 billion fine for restricting competition in the music streaming market through its App Store policies. The company also faces additional investigations related to new fees on app developers and potential violations of the DMA, which could result in penalties of up to 10% of its global annual revenue.

The Digital Markets Act, which came into effect earlier this year, mandates Apple to make changes, such as allowing users to choose default browsers and permitting alternative app stores on its operating systems. Apple has not commented on the impending fine, and the European Commission has yet to provide a response.