The technology company Meta announced that it will appeal the fine of nearly 800 million euros imposed by the European Commission (EC) for alleged violations of European Union antitrust rules with its classified ads service Facebook Marketplace. In its statement, Meta expressed that after a decade of investigation, there is no coherent theory or evidence of harm against it.
The EC claims that Meta abused its dominant position by imposing unfair trade conditions on other classified ad providers that use Meta's platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. Zuckerberg's company responded by arguing that there is no evidence to support this claim and that there are other platforms in European markets that continue to grow and be predominant.
According to Meta's statement, the company will comply with the EC's decision and will work quickly and constructively to find a solution to the raised concerns. The EC ordered Meta to cease its conduct and refrain from repeating the violations in the future, to which Meta responded that they will comply for now, but they intend to make announcements soon to assure European users that Facebook Marketplace will remain available.
"The fact that the entire case is based on a hypothetical possibility of harming competition confirms that, at best, this is a case that is still looking for a coherent theory," stated Meta in its announcement. The company concluded by announcing its appeal against the EC's decision.
