Meta faces a hefty fine for engaging in unfair practices related to its free marketplace services, thereby marginalizing its competitors.

Meta will be hit with a large fine because EU regulators say it is undermining competition with its free marketplace services, the Financial Times reports. This fine could be as much as ten percent of the company’s annual global turnover. The antitrust case began in 2019, but Meta can still appeal.

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Meta is accused of dominating the advertising market with its free marketplace services. This antitrust investigation was launched in 2019 after Facebook competitors made allegations. They claimed that Facebook was abusing its dominant position by offering free services. In addition, it would use the data it received from companies to subsequently sell advertising to users. The European Commission’s first findings followed in 2022.

According to three senior officials, the decision could be made as early as next month. According to insiders at the Financial Times, Margrethe Vestager wants to conclude this antitrust case against Meta before she steps down from her role as competition chief.

Many tech giants are involved in antitrust cases. For example, Google recently won an appeal, although it was less fortunate in the antitrust case surrounding Google Shopping. Apple also had to deal with this recently and was fined €13 billion.