According to the preliminary view of the EU competition authorities, the US Internet group Meta is violating European antitrust regulations by distorting competition on Facebook Marketplace.
According to a statement on Monday, the EU Commission specifically criticizes the fact that Meta unilaterally imposes unfair trading conditions on competing online classifieds services that advertise on Facebook or Instagram.
In addition, Meta links the Facebook Marketplace to its dominant social network, Facebook.
Facebook users would have automatic access to the classifieds portal, “whether they want it or not”.
According to the statement, the Commission suspects that Facebook Marketplace has a significant sales advantage that its competitors cannot compensate for.
The US group now has the opportunity to dispel the doubts about its classifieds service.
If the EU Commission nevertheless comes to the conclusion that there is sufficient evidence of violations, it can impose a fine of up to ten percent of Meta's worldwide annual turnover.
