Zuckerberg seeks Trump’s help to protect Meta, aligning with his demands

01 Apr 2025 20:09
01 Apr 2025 20:10

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Zuckerberg seeks Trump’s help to protect Meta, aligning with his demands

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Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly seeking President Donald Trump's assistance as the company faces a lawsuit in Europe.

Since Trump was re-elected in November, Zuckerberg has warmed to the president, scrapping Meta’s diversity, equity and inclusion team, getting rid of its fact-checking program and electing UFC President Dana White to Meta’s board of directors, News.Az reports citing The Independent.

Zuckerberg was one of several tech moguls who attended Trump’s inauguration in January.

And now it appears he is calling in a favor.

Meta executives have reportedly pressed U.S. trade officials to fight a potential fine and cease-and-desist from the European Commission over the tech giant’s use of personalized ads on its platforms, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

The company, which owns Facebook and Instagram, may be forced to allow European users free access to its platforms without personalized ads – one of Meta’s key revenue methods.

A spokesperson for Meta told the Wall Street Journal that the European Commission’s potential move “is not just about fines.”

“It’s about the Commission seeking to handicap successful American businesses simply because they’re America, while letting Chinese and European rivals off the hook.”

A European Commission spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that officials enforce laws equally for all companies regardless of where they are incorporated.

The EU adopted a sweeping set of laws under the Digital Services Act in 2022, which, in part, require social media platforms to be more transparent with regulators and users as well as impose stricter regulations over targeted advertising.

Meta hopes to push the Trump administration to “respond aggressively” over the potential decision, which they hope will persuade the European Commission to soften how Meta may have to comply with its rules.

Trump is expected to announce a set of tariffs on the EU and other countries on Wednesday as part of his push to increase domestic manufacturing and jobs while also changing U.S. trade deals to favor the country more.

The lawsuit was brought against Meta – and a similar one was brought against Apple – last year after the European Commission said Meta’s policy of requiring users to either buy a subscription or allow the company to use their data for targeted advertising was violating its laws.

The company had reportedly suggested to the European Commission that it could make a “less personalized ads” option for EU users. Those familiar with the situation told the Wall Street Journal that Meta worries the Commission could force it to sell fewer personalized ads or make the option for less personalized ads more prominent.

News.Az