France's antitrust authority has imposed a €150m (£125m) fine on Apple for abusing its dominant position in the distribution of mobile apps for iOS and iPad devices from April 2021 to July 2023.
The French antitrust authority noted that, in its view, the purpose of Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) platform, which is to obtain users' consent before tracking their activity, is not in itself objectionable.
However, the court found that “the manner in which this was accomplished was neither necessary nor proportionate to Apple's stated purpose of protecting privacy.”
Under this system, iPhone or iPad users must consent to third-party apps collecting data on Apple's operating systems to provide better privacy protection and display a window in a partially standardized format.
Apple said in a statement that ATT is giving users more control over privacy “through mandatory, clear, and understandable tracking notices.”
“This request is the same for all developers, including Apple, and we have received significant support for this feature from consumers, privacy advocates, and data protection authorities around the world,” the company said.
“While we are disappointed with today’s decision, the French Competition Authority (FCA) did not require any specific changes to ATT.”
The French regulator expressed regret that the system had led to an increase in the number of consent windows, making it extremely difficult for users of third-party apps to navigate the iOS ecosystem.
He also questioned the neutrality of the system, noting that it penalizes small publishers whose operations rely heavily on third-party data collection.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
