Apple fined over dating apps
US tech giant Apple has been hit with a €5 million ($5.65 million) fine for failing to comply with an order previously made by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM).
The order, made by the Dutch antitrust regulator in December, concerned Apple’s failure to allow dating app providers to use alternative payment methods in the Netherlands, thus breaking competition laws.
Apple will continue to be subject to a weekly fine, ranging from €5 million to €50 million ($56.5 million) until it complies, the ACM told Reuters.On January 15, Apple claimed it had complied with the mandate, but the ACM disagreed on Monday.
“Apple has failed to satisfy the requirements on several points,” it said in a statement.
“The most important one is that Apple has failed to adjust its conditions, as a result of which dating-app providers are still unable to use other payment systems. At the moment, dating-app providers can merely express their ‘interest’,” the statement added.
The US tech giant has yet to comment, but is appealing December’s decision.On Friday, Apple said it would charge a commission on purchases, despite making changes to allow links to third-party in-app payment providers.
