Apple fined 150 million Euros by France over privacy feature
French antitrust regulators have imposed a fine of 150 million euros ($162 million) on Apple due to its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, which is currently under examination in several European countries.
The French Competition Authority determined that Apple’s execution of the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature was “neither necessary nor proportionate to the company’s declared objective of protecting user data” and unjustly penalized third-party publishers.
In addition to the financial fine, Apple has been instructed to display the decision on its website for a duration of seven days. This ruling occurs alongside ongoing investigations in Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland regarding ATT, which Apple launched in 2021 as a privacy protection measure.
APPLE APP TRACKING FEATURE
The App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature mandates that apps secure explicit user consent through a pop-up before they can track activity across other applications and websites. If users choose to decline, the app loses access to their advertising identifier, which restricts targeted advertising capabilities. Critics contend that this system unfairly advantages Apple by limiting competition while promoting its own advertising services.
ALSO READ: Elon Musk Sells X to His AI Startup for $33B
The French regulatory authority discovered that ATT compels users to navigate through excessive consent windows for third-party apps on iPhones and iPads, rendering the process unnecessarily complex. Furthermore, Apple’s system requires users to opt out of ad tracking twice instead of just once, which the authority claims undermines the neutrality of the feature and inflicts economic harm on app publishers and advertising service providers.
The ruling highlighted that smaller publishers, who depend significantly on third-party data collection for their revenue, are especially impacted. The French regulator initially chose not to implement emergency measures in 2021 following complaints from the advertising sector, but it persisted with its investigation, which ultimately culminated in Monday’s decision.
Apple on Monday said ATT”gives users more control of their privacy through a required, clear, and easy-to-understand prompt about one thing: tracking.
“That prompt is consistent for all developers, including Apple, and we have received strong support for this feature from consumers, privacy advocates, and data protection authorities around the world,” it said.
