Because Meta integrated Facebook Marketplace into its social network, it violated competition law and was fined €798 million (£664 million).
According to the European Commission, this results in “unfair trading conditions” that hinder competition for other classified ad providers.
It has mandated that Meta cease enforcing these restrictions on other services in addition to the penalties.
Meta declared that it would appeal the Commission’s conclusions.
Facebook has hindered other online classified advertisements service providers, according to EU antitrust head Margrethe Vestager.
“It did so to benefit its own service Facebook Marketplace, thereby giving it advantages that other online classified ads service providers could not match,” she stated.
Meta “must stop this behavior,” she said, and the EU is requesting that the company “refrain from repeating.”
