Overview
- In a statement to the German Press Agency, Apple said intense lobbying and regulatory pressure could force it to withdraw App Tracking Transparency for some European users.
- App Tracking Transparency, introduced in 2021, requires apps to obtain permission before tracking activity across other companies’ apps and websites by blocking access to the advertising identifier without consent.
- Germany’s Federal Cartel Office issued a preliminary assessment in February 2025 finding potential abuse of market power, France fined Apple €150 million in March, and Italy’s investigation is ongoing with a decision expected in December.
- Apple says it has presented solutions but argues that remedies under discussion would effectively weaken the feature, and it plans to keep pressing authorities to allow continued availability.
- Disabling the control would remove an opt-in gate against cross-app tracking, benefiting ad targeting sought by industry opponents such as Meta, even as studies reported sharp drops in tracking after the feature’s rollout.