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.

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.