French antitrust regulators fined Apple €150 million ($162.42 million) for allegedly misusing its mobile app advertising dominance. The penalty relates to Apple’s actions concerning a privacy control tool from 2021 to 2023. It marks the first antitrust fine against Apple linked to its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) system.
ATT allows iPhone and iPad users to control app tracking. This has faced criticism from advertisers and competitors reliant on online ads. Complaints in the French case were raised by associations representing online advertisers, publishers, and internet networks, accusing Apple of market power abuse.
The French competition authority criticized ATT for implementing privacy measures that were deemed unnecessary and disproportionate for Apple’s goal of data protection. The regulator highlighted that the tool unfairly impacted small publishers dependent on third-party data collection.
Apple expressed disappointment over the French fine, stating that no specific changes to its privacy control tool were mandated by the regulator. The penalty, significantly less than the EU’s previous fine of €1.8 billion for restricting music streaming competition via App Store rules, underscores the ongoing tech debate on privacy and fair competition.
Sources News From Various Digital Platforms, Websites, Journalists, And Agencies.
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