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EU Fines Meta €797M for Antitrust Violations in Facebook Marketplace Case
The European Union has fined Meta €797.72 million for violating antitrust laws by integrating Facebook Marketplace into its social media platform, giving it an unfair advantage over competitors.
The European Commission accused Meta of abusing its dominant position by automatically granting Facebook users access to Marketplace and imposing unfair trading conditions on rival classified ad providers advertising on Facebook.
“This behavior is illegal under EU antitrust rules. Meta must now stop,” said Margrethe Vestager, the EU’s competition commissioner.
Meta announced plans to appeal the decision, arguing it misrepresents competition in Europe.
“Users choose to engage with Marketplace voluntarily,” Meta stated, dismissing allegations of leveraging competitor ad data for Marketplace’s benefit.
The fine, one of the EU’s largest against Big Tech, reflects the “duration and gravity” of the violations. It comes as the EU intensifies its regulatory scrutiny through measures like the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act.
This decision follows earlier actions against Meta, including accusations of forcing users into data-sharing agreements under a “pay or consent” system.
To address regulatory concerns, Meta recently introduced less targeted ads for free users in the EU and reduced prices for its ad-free subscriptions.
Nigerian news analyst, Mahmud Jega, has shared his opinion on the recent airstrike carried out by the United States in Nigeria, stating that Nigerians should not blame President Bola Tinubu for the incident.
Jega made this statement during a recent interview, where he said he does not believe many people will hold the Tinubu administration responsible, as Donald Trump had issued threats against Nigeria long before Tinubu’s administration.
“No, I don’t think many people will blame the Tinubu administration for what is happening now because President Donald Trump, when he first made the threats, it was clearly not in coordination with the Tinubu administration or the government of Nigeria,” Jega said.
It has been reported that the United States carried out an airstrike targeting ISIS in the northwest region of Nigeria. The order was reportedly given by former U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Tonight, at my direction as Commander in Chief, the United States launched a powerful and deadly strike against ISIS terrorist elements in northwest Nigeria,” Trump said.
He added, “I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did not stop the slaughtering of Christians, there would be hell to pay, and tonight, there was.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially declared the holiday dates for the festive season.
Thursday, December 25 will be observed as Christmas Day, December 26 as Boxing Day, and Thursday, January 1 as New Year’s Day.
The declaration was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Magdalene Ajani. He also added that Nigerians should celebrate the holidays in faith and pray for the nation.
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