A good day for the digital rule of law – EU Commission enforces DMA against Apple and Meta
Dear friends,
Last week marked an important step for the digital rule of law in Europe. On Wednesday, the European Commission imposed penalties under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for the first time.
Apple must pay €500 million for preventing app developers from informing users about cheaper offers outside the App Store. It is very welcome news that Meta has been fined €200 million for its ‘pay or consent’ advertising model (also known as ‘pay or OK’). Meta introduced the model in the EU in November 2023 in order to once again circumvent EU data protection rules and make users pay dearly for their privacy by making personalised advertising available only through a paid subscription.
These decisions show that European law also applies to tech giants – and those who violate it will be held accountable.
I welcome the fact that the EU Commission is taking the DMA seriously and sanctioning Apple and Meta. Fair competition and data protection are not luxuries, but cornerstones of our democracy. It is unacceptable for corporations to charge for legal data protection. The rule of law is not negotiable – not even with the US.
And what about X?
At the same time, I ask myself – and many with me: Why are there still no results in the investigations into the alleged manipulation by X (formerly Twitter) in the run-up to the 2025 federal elections? The Commission’s investigations into X for possible violations of the Digital Services Act have been ongoing since January. The Commission announced back in July 2024 that X was in breach of the DSA. And since January: radio silence. No results, no transparency, no sanctions and, above all, X continues as before. And the other platforms? They continue to dominate the discourse with disinformation and right-wing hate speech.
Two months after the federal elections, there is still no outcome regarding Musk’s algorithmic favouritism towards the AfD. The EU Commission must finally take action – those who want to protect our democracy must not hesitate when it comes to foreign influence.
We must not slacken our efforts now: while the Commission is taking its first steps towards enforcing the DMA, we are still waiting for the political will to finally protect our democracy with the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA is our key instrument for holding platforms accountable and making their algorithms transparent. But precisely where it is urgently needed, for example with X (formerly Twitter), the Commission remains conspicuously silent.
Europe must not allow itself to be blackmailed: pressure on the Commission is growing, not least due to the escalating trade dispute with the US. There are signs that tech regulation is being treated as a bargaining chip. That would be a fatal mistake. Our laws, our democracy and our freedom of information must not be sacrificed on the altar of geopolitical interests. If Donald Trump tries to undermine European regulations under the guise of a trade war, our response must be clear: our laws are not negotiable.
Europe must show confidence: we protect our citizens – not only from illegal content, but also from manipulation, radicalisation and disinformation.
This also means taking cases such as the recent revelations surrounding #SkinnyTok seriously. If TikTok’s algorithm systematically plays content that promotes eating disorders to young users, this shows once again how urgently we need clear rules – and why the DSA must be implemented in full and without compromise.
The rules are in place – now they need to be enforced with determination.
With the DMA and the DSA, we have two of the world’s most progressive laws for a fair and democratic digital public sphere. But they are useless if we do not apply them with determination. Now is the time to show that the rule of law is not a paper tiger. The time for hesitation is over – I am campaigning for this in Brussels.
With determined regards,
Yours, Alexandra Geese