The European Union has imposed an $840 million (€800 million) fine on Meta for violating antitrust regulations by providing automatic access to its classified ads service, Facebook Marketplace, to Facebook users.

The European Commission stated that Meta abused its dominant market position by imposing unfair trading conditions on other online classified ad providers.

Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition chief, emphasized that such practices are illegal under EU law and demanded that Meta cease these behaviors.

In response, Meta announced plans to appeal the decision, arguing that the ruling disregards the realities of the competitive European online classified market.

The company maintained that users have the option to engage with Marketplace voluntarily, asserting that many do not use the service.

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This fine marks one of the ten largest antitrust penalties ever levied by the EU, adding to a series of significant fines imposed on major tech companies in recent years.

The European Commission highlighted that the integration of Marketplace with Facebook gives it a significant distribution advantage, making it difficult for competitors to compete fairly.