France’s Competition Authority has fined Apple €150 million ($162 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant market position through its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. Introduced in 2021 with iOS 14.5, ATT requires apps to seek user consent before tracking their activity across other apps and websites.
The regulator accused Apple of favoring its own advertising services by exempting them from the same restrictions imposed on third-party advertisers.
While Apple claimed ATT enhances user privacy, the authority found its implementation “disproportionate” and harmful to competition, particularly for smaller developers reliant on ad revenue. Many saw significant declines in revenue due to restricted access to targeted advertising tools like the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA).
This decision follows complaints from French advertising groups and adds to similar investigations in other European countries. While Apple must now propose compliance measures, no immediate technical changes to ATT were mandated.
The case highlights tensions between privacy protections and antitrust concerns, with regulators increasingly scrutinizing how tech giants balance user privacy with fair competition.
Apple defended ATT as a privacy tool but has not confirmed whether it will appeal the ruling.
