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2mo ago

Apple Fined €150 Million by France Over App Tracking Transparency Framework

French regulators cite abuse of market dominance and harm to smaller publishers, marking a significant antitrust ruling against Apple's privacy feature.

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An illustration of an iPhone held up in front of the Apple Inc. logo taken of January 30, 2015 in Lille. Apple was fined �150 million on March 31, 2025 for abuse of a dominant position in the targeting of advertising on its devices, announced the French Competition Authority, while similar investigations are targeting the company in other European countries.
Apple's privacy feature requires apps to obtain user consent through a pop-up window before tracking their activity across other apps and websites
FILE - The Apple logo is illuminated at a store in Munich, Germany, Monday, Nov. 13, 2023. AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)(

Overview

  • France's Competition Authority fined Apple €150 million ($162 million) for the implementation of its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, citing it as 'neither necessary nor proportionate' to its privacy goals.
  • The regulator found that Apple's ATT framework disproportionately harms smaller publishers and third-party developers reliant on targeted advertising for revenue.
  • Apple's system requires users to opt out of ad tracking twice, creating unnecessary complexity and undermining the framework's neutrality, according to the ruling.
  • Apple must publish the decision on its website for seven days but is not required to make changes to the ATT framework.
  • Similar investigations into Apple's ATT framework are ongoing in Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland, reflecting broader regulatory scrutiny in Europe.