The European Commission has hit Meta, the parent company of Facebook, with a massive fine of 797.72 million euros ($841 million) for violating EU antitrust regulations.

According to the commission, Meta unfairly boosted its online classifieds ad service, Facebook Marketplace, by linking it directly to Facebook's main app.


It also cited Meta's imposition of "unfair trading conditions" on other online classified ad providers.


Meta's main social network, Facebook, automatically includes Facebook Marketplace, which allows users to buy and sell goods. This setup means that all Facebook users get access to Marketplace without having to register for it, giving Marketplace an unfair advantage over competing services.


The EU said this automatic link makes it harder for other online classified advertising services to compete as they don't have the same reach.


The commission also found that Meta put other online advertising companies at a disadvantage by using data from their Facebook and Instagram ads to solely benefit Facebook Marketplace. This gave Meta's serve extra leverage over her rivals, making it even more difficult for competitors to keep up.


In addition to the fine, the European Commission ordered Meta to immediately stop these practices and avoid similar actions in the future./AA