Will the European Commission's hand tremble when, next week, it imposes sanctions on Apple and Meta? It's not impossible. The Financial Times explains that if the two companies will indeed be sanctioned for their non-compliance with the Digital Markets Regulation (DMA), the fines will be low. A far cry from the 10% of global turnover that the text authorizes.
Brussels is walking on eggshells
Apple should get a rap on the knuckles in the "anti-steering" case : the manufacturer is always putting obstacles in the way of developers who have a hard time communicating promotions and offers outside the App Store to users.
In other words, they should be able to integrate links to their own online stores into their applications, which seems like the least they can do... but which deprives Apple of part of its sacrosanct commission on in-app purchases. The debate is just as heated in the United States:
On the other hand, Apple should escape any sanctions regarding the choice of default browser. The changes made by the manufacturer to this selection panel would have reassured the regulator.
For Meta, it is the "pay or consent" model that will be sanctioned. The social media giant gives its European users the choice between accepting ad tracking or subscribing to a paid subscription.
Both companies will have to change their practices, however, the financial penalties will be modest: the authorities are primarily seeking to obtain compliance from the digital giants rather than imposing massive fines. Brussels thus intends to avoid an escalation with Washington, Donald Trump having promised retaliation against countries "taxing" US digital champions.
Source: FT
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