Mathias Busekist
The White House is lashing out.
The White House has strongly criticized the European Commission’s recent decision to impose heavy fines on U.S. tech giants Apple and Meta, calling the move a “new form of economic extortion” and warning it could further strain transatlantic trade relations.
In a statement on Thursday, National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said the United States “will not tolerate” what it sees as targeted actions against American companies.
“Extraterritorial regulations that precisely target and undermine American companies, stifle innovation, and enable censorship will be recognized as trade barriers and a direct threat to a free civil society,” Hughes said, according to AFP and Agerpres.
The European Commission announced the penalties on Wednesday, fining Apple €500 million for what it described as unfair practices in its App Store, which allegedly disadvantage app developers and consumers.
Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was fined €200 million for violations of European data privacy regulations.
While the fines come amid heightened trade tensions between the EU and the United States, European officials insist the penalties are not politically motivated.
“These are simply law enforcement actions,” said EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera, rejecting claims that the measures are connected to the ongoing tariff dispute initiated by President Donald Trump.
Earlier this year, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized the growing number of EU laws, arguing that they are “institutionalizing censorship” and making innovation more difficult. The European Commission swiftly pushed back, warning that it will continue to monitor Meta’s compliance with EU regulations.
The latest fines are likely to fuel ongoing tensions over digital governance, trade policy, and the balance between regulation and innovation in the transatlantic tech space.