The White House objects €700 mn EU fine against Apple, Meta

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The White House is upset with the EU after it fined two major US tech companies, Apple and Meta. 

The EU fined Apple $570 million, saying the company didn’t follow the rules set by a new law called the DMA (Digital Markets Act). 

This law is meant to make big tech companies treat competitors and customers more fairly. However, the White House sees things differently. 

It called the fines a form of “economic extortion,” basically accusing the EU of unfairly squeezing money out of American companies. (Via: Reuters) 

The White House also criticized the DMA itself, saying it unfairly targets US businesses, hurts innovation, and could lead to censorship. 

They warned that this could become a bigger problem for trade between the US and Europe. 

Although some reports said the EU kept the fines lower than they could have been, possibly to avoid angering President Trump, it doesn’t seem to have helped much. 

Trump had already said back in 2024 that he wouldn’t let Europe take advantage of US companies.

The EU claims that Apple didn’t do enough to let app developers direct customers to other places outside of the App Store for purchases, something the DMA requires. 

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said the fines show that the EU is serious about protecting European consumers.

Apple disagrees with the fine and plans to fight it in court. Meanwhile, this isn’t the first time the EU has seemed to favor European companies over American ones. For example, it has often sided with Spotify over Apple Music in past disputes.

It’s unclear what steps the US government might take next. However, this latest conflict is likely to make trade relations between the US and Europe even more tense. 

The EU has already called Trump’s previous trade threats “bullying” and insists it won’t back down from holding big tech companies like Apple accountable.

What are your thoughts on the US stance on this issue? Do you think US companies should be allowed to freely manipulate other markets? Tell us your thoughts below in the comments, or via our Twitter or Facebook.