European Regulators Ramp Up Antitrust, Privacy and Online Safety Probes Into Big Tech
Major European Investigations Into Big Tech Companies
July 2 (Reuters) - European regulators have launched a series of antitrust, privacy and online safety investigations into major technology companies in recent years.
Below are some of the major probes:
Alphabet
Android Antitrust Fine
Europe's top court on July 2 dismissed Google's challenge against a €4.1 billion ($4.8 billion) EU antitrust fine over Android, largely upholding regulators' findings that the company used its mobile operating system to shut out rivals.
The European Commission originally imposed a €4.3 billion penalty in 2018, which a lower tribunal reduced in 2022. Google has accumulated almost €11 billion in EU antitrust fines over the past decade.
AI and Content Use Investigation
The Commission in December opened an antitrust investigation into whether Google is breaching competition rules through its use of publishers' online content and YouTube material for artificial intelligence purposes.
Other Legal Challenges and Regulatory Actions
Online Search Advertising and Shopping Service
Google won its challenge in September 2024 against a €1.49 billion fine linked to online search advertising but lost a separate appeal against a €2.42 billion fine over its comparison shopping service.
UK CMA Orders
Britain's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in June ordered Google to increase transparency around search rankings and allow publishers to opt out of having content used for AI features.
Amazon.com
Privacy and Data Use
Italy's privacy watchdog in February ordered an Amazon.com unit to stop using personal data from more than 1,800 warehouse workers near Rome.
Marketplace Competition
Germany's cartel office in the same month barred Amazon from imposing price caps on retailers selling through its German marketplace and sought recovery of profits it said were generated through anti-competitive conduct.
Digital Services Act Designation
The EU General Court in November rejected Amazon's bid to overturn its designation as a platform subject to stricter obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
Apple
Competition Fines and Regulatory Designations
Italy's competition authority fined Apple and two subsidiaries €98.6 million 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), while Germany's Federal Court of Justice upheld a regulatory designation subjecting the company to tighter competition controls.
Britain's CMA designated Apple and Google as companies with "strategic market status" in October 2025, giving it powers to impose conduct requirements.
Back Taxes and Antitrust Settlements
In September 2024, Europe's top court upheld an order requiring Apple to pay €13 billion in back taxes to Ireland.
Apple also agreed in July 2024 to open its tap-and-go mobile payments technology to rivals to settle an EU antitrust probe. Earlier that year, Brussels fined the company €1.84 billion over restrictions affecting music-streaming competitors.
Meta Platforms
Online Platform Rules and Child Safety
EU regulators said in April that Facebook and Instagram may be breaching landmark online-platform rules and ordered Meta Platforms to do more to prevent children under 13 from accessing the services.
AI and Messaging Services
Meta said in March it would allow AI rivals access to WhatsApp for a fee after the European Commission threatened interim measures during an abuse-of-dominance investigation. The Commission later argued the access terms could still exclude third-party providers.
Marketplace and Advertising Investigations
Meta was fined €797.7 million in November 2024 over practices benefiting Facebook Marketplace and was charged in July 2024 with breaching the DMA through its "pay or consent" advertising model.
Microsoft
Cloud Computing and Software Bundling
Britain's competition regulator said in March it would investigate Microsoft's business software ecosystem, including software licensing practices in cloud computing.
Microsoft avoided a potentially hefty EU antitrust fine by promising in September reduced prices for Office products excluding its Teams app after the European Commission had charged the U.S. company with illegally bundling the app with its Office software suite.
TikTok
Online Content and DSA Compliance
EU regulators charged TikTok in February with breaching online content rules through what they described as addictive platform features.
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.
TikTok was also charged in May 2025 with failing to comply with DSA requirements relating to an advertising repository intended to help users and researchers identify scam advertisements. The company avoided a fine after offering concessions.
X
AI Chatbot and Content Moderation
The European Commission said in January it would investigate X's AI chatbot Grok over concerns it may disseminate illegal content, including manipulated images.
Ireland's Data Protection Commission opened a formal investigation into Grok in February, while French police raided X's offices days later as part of a separate probe.
DSA Sanctions and Remedies
X was fined €120 million in December for breaching online content rules, marking the first sanction under the DSA. The company submitted remedies in March related to its blue-check verification system, which regulators are assessing.
Additional Information
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(Compiled by Paolo Laudani, Alessandro Parodi, Charlotte Bawol, Olivier Cherfan, Enrico Sciacovelli, Olga Sawczuk and Danny Callaghan in Gdansk. Editing by Alexander Smith, Milla Nissi-Prussak and Matt Scuffham.)
