The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has fined Apple over €98 million (roughly US$114 million) for abusing its dominant position in the app market, reports iPhone in Canada. The investigation, which has been ongoing since 2023, focused on Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy.
When Apple introduced ATT in 2021, it required all third-party developers to ask for permission before tracking user data across other apps and websites. According to the AGCM, Apple’s implementation was “unfair and disproportionate.”
“The regulator found that because Apple’s own prompt didn’t quite meet the strict requirements of European privacy laws, developers were often forced to show a second, separate pop-up to stay legal,” reports iPhone in Canada. “This ‘double consent’ requirement frustrated users and led many to simply click ‘No’ to everything. Meanwhile, the AGCM claims Apple’s own apps and services didn’t face the same hurdles, giving the tech giant an unfair advantage in the digital advertising space.”
Apple introduced the App Tracking Transparency Framework for third-party apps with its updates iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5 and tvOS 14.5 in April 2021. ATT allows you to choose whether an app can track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites for the purposes of advertising or sharing with data brokers. Starting with iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5, apps must ask for permission before tracking your activity across other companies’ apps and websites.
Tracking occurs when information that identifies you or your device collected from an app is linked with information that identifies you or your device collected on apps, websites and other locations owned by third parties for the purposes of targeted advertising or advertising measurement, or when the information collected is shared with data brokers.
This isn’t Apple’s first brush with Italian authorities. In November 2021 Apple and Amazon werefined a total of more than 200 million euros (about $225 million) for alleged anti-competitive cooperation in the sale of Apple and Beats products.
And in October 2018, the AGCM fined Apple and Samsung 5 million euros (about $5.7 million) each following complaints they used software updates to slow down their mobile phones, The former was fined another 5 million euro fine for not giving clients clear information on how to maintain or replace smartphone batteries as part of the “Batterygate” brouhaha.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today