European Union accuses Meta of antitrust breaches with classified ads

The European Union has accused Facebook parent Meta of breaching the bloc's antitrust rules by distorting competition in the online classified ads business.

The bloc's executive commission said Monday that it takes issue with the tech company tying its online classified ad business, Facebook Marketplace, to Facebook.

That means Facebook users automatically have access to Marketplace whether they want it or not", the European Commission said.

The commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust enforcer, said Meta also imposes unfair trading conditions on competing online classified ad companies that advertise their services on Facebook or Instagram.

Companies that breach EU antitrust rules can be hit with fines worth up to 10 per cent of their annual global revenue.