Overview
European and national regulators have intensified scrutiny of major technology companies in recent years, launching a broad set of antitrust, privacy and online-safety investigations and, in some cases, imposing substantial fines and regulatory designations. The actions cover areas such as mobile operating systems, digital markets obligations, use of personal data, online advertising practices and platform safety measures for children and vulnerable users.
Alphabet (Google)
Europe's top court on July 2 dismissed Google's challenge to a €4.1 billion EU antitrust fine tied to the company's Android practices, largely upholding the finding that Google used its mobile operating system to exclude competitors. That penalty traces back to a €4.3 billion fine the European Commission imposed in 2018, which a lower tribunal reduced in 2022. Over the past decade Google has accumulated almost €11 billion in EU antitrust fines.
The Commission also opened a separate antitrust investigation in December into whether Google is violating competition rules through its use of publishers' online content and YouTube material for artificial intelligence purposes. Earlier outcomes include Google's successful challenge in September 2024 against a €1.49 billion fine related to online search advertising, and its failed appeal against a €2.42 billion fine concerning its comparison shopping service. In Britain, the Competition and Markets Authority in June directed Google to disclose more about search rankings and to permit publishers to opt out of having their content used for AI features.
Amazon.com
Regulatory actions affecting Amazon have been both privacy and competition oriented. In February, Italy's privacy watchdog ordered an Amazon.com unit to stop using personal data from more than 1,800 warehouse workers near Rome. That same month Germany's cartel office banned Amazon from imposing price caps on retailers that sell through its German marketplace and sought recovery of profits it said resulted from anti-competitive behavior. The EU General Court in November rejected Amazon's attempt to overturn its classification as a platform subject to stricter obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Apple
Italy's competition authority imposed a €98.6 million fine on Apple and two subsidiaries in December over alleged abuse of a dominant position in the mobile apps market. The European Commission fined Apple €500 million in April 2025 under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and Germany's Federal Court of Justice affirmed a regulatory designation that subjects the company to tighter competition controls. Britain's Competition and Markets Authority designated Apple and Google as firms with "strategic market status" in October 2025, granting it powers to impose conduct requirements.
Other European rulings involving Apple include a September 2024 decision by the EU's top court upholding an order requiring Apple to pay €13 billion in back taxes to Ireland. Apple agreed in July 2024 to open its tap-and-go mobile payments technology to rivals to resolve an EU antitrust probe. Earlier in 2024 Brussels fined the company €1.84 billion for restrictions affecting music-streaming competitors.
Meta Platforms
EU regulators in April said Facebook and Instagram may be violating landmark online-platform rules and ordered Meta Platforms to strengthen measures to prevent children under 13 from accessing the services. In March Meta said it would allow AI rivals access to WhatsApp for a fee after the European Commission threatened interim measures during an abuse-of-dominance investigation, although the Commission later said the access terms could still exclude some third-party providers.
Meta was fined €797.7 million in November 2024 over practices favoring Facebook Marketplace, and in July 2024 it was charged with breaching the DMA through a "pay or consent" advertising model.
Microsoft
Britain's competition regulator announced in March that it would investigate Microsoft's business software ecosystem, including software licensing practices in cloud computing. Microsoft avoided a potentially large EU antitrust fine by making commitments in September to reduce prices for Office products when sold without its Teams app, following an EU charge that it had illegally bundled the Teams application with its Office suite.
TikTok
EU regulators charged TikTok in February with breaching online content rules through platform features regulators described as addictive. The European Commission said in October 2025 that TikTok and Meta had failed to provide researchers with adequate access to public data as required under the DSA. Additional charges against TikTok in May 2025 accused the company of not complying with DSA requirements related to an advertising repository designed to help users and researchers identify scam advertisements; the company avoided a fine after offering concessions.
X (formerly Twitter)
The European Commission said in January it would examine X's AI chatbot Grok over worries it might distribute illegal content, including manipulated images. Ireland's Data Protection Commission opened a formal probe into Grok in February, and French police carried out a raid on X's offices days later as part of a separate inquiry. X was fined €120 million in December for violating online content rules, marking the first sanction under the DSA. The company submitted remedies in March concerning its blue-check verification system, which regulators are still evaluating.
Context and implications
The regulatory actions enumerated above span national privacy authorities, competition agencies, EU-level enforcement under the Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, and rulings by Europe's top court. They include fines, required remedies, investigations into data use and AI practices, and obligations to change commercial conduct or platform features. Collectively, these measures reflect an enforcement agenda addressing digital market power, consumer privacy, platform safety and the interplay between data use and emerging AI applications.
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