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Proton Tracker Finds Big Tech Fined $7.8 Billion in 2025 as Alphabet Leads, Amazon Surges

Proton says the companies could cover the penalties with free cash flow in about 28 days, underscoring weak deterrence.

Overview

  • Alphabet absorbed more than $4.2 billion in penalties, including a €3.5 billion EU sanction over ad-tech conduct and a $381 million fine in France tied to Gmail ads and cookie consent.
  • Amazon’s total jumped to $2.5 billion, driven largely by U.S. action over deceptive Amazon Prime subscription practices.
  • Apple accumulated $851 million across rulings in South Korea, France, the EU and Italy, and Proton says Apple continued to resist certain Digital Markets Act obligations after an April €500 million fine.
  • Meta faced $228 million in fines following an EU decision scrutinizing its advertising model.
  • Proton calculates the sector’s 2025 fines could be cleared in 28 days and 48 minutes of free cash flow, bringing tracked penalties since 2022 above $21 billion and prompting calls to use tougher tools such as higher GDPR‑based caps.