Apple and Meta allegedly violated digital rules in the EU

Apple and Meta could soon face charges from the European Commission for violating the rules of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The Financial Times recently reported that the European Commission plans to indict Apple, and later Meta was also added to the list of defendants.

The commission is expected to attack Apple over its "referral" rules, which charge developers fees for referrals to third-party purchase opportunities. While Meta is said to be indicted for its ad-free subscription to Facebook and Instagram in the EU.

According to Reuters, the commission will issue preliminary findings, meaning companies can make changes and try to fix things before the commission's final decision. Apple is expected to be the first in the dock, and formal charges could come to the company's desks in the coming weeks. None of those involved have yet commented on the events.

The charges were brought after the Commission opened a DMA non-compliance investigation against Apple, Meta and Alphabet (Google) in March.