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The
European Commission, which launched investigations into the two
companies and Alphabet's Google in March under the Digital
Markets Act (DMA), sees Apple and Meta as priority cases, the
people said.
The DMA requires Big Tech to open up space for smaller rivals to
compete and make it easier for people to move between competing
online services like social media platforms, internet browsers
and app stores.
EU regulators will issue preliminary findings which are similar
to antitrust charges before the summer break in August, with
Apple the first to be charged, followed by Meta, the sources
said.
The Commission and Meta declined to comment. Apple referred to
its March statement where it said that it was confident that its
plan complies with the DMA and that it continues to
constructively engage with the Commission.
Companies can offer remedies to address concerns laid out in the
findings before a final decision expected before EU antitrust
chief Margrethe Vestager leaves office in November, which could
include fines up to 10% of a company's global annual turnover
for breaches.
The EU investigation targets Apple's steering rules, which
regulators say impose limitations that hinder app developers
from informing users about offers outside its App Store free of
charge, and also its new fees levied on apps developers.
EU regulators are expected to charge Apple related to this
issue, the people said, adding that a second investigation
focusing on its choice screen for its Safari web browser will
likely take more time.
The preliminary finding on Meta focuses on its recently
introduced pay or consent model where users pay a subscription
fee for an ad-free Facebook and Instagram, the people said.
The FT was the first to report that Apple would face EU charges.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Jan Harvey)
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