Despite positioning itself as a champion of user privacy, Apple now faces a hefty €150 million ($162 million) fine from France’s competition watchdog. The French Competition Authority (FCA) slapped the tech giant with the penalty over its controversial App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework. Ironic, really. A privacy feature landing Apple in hot water.
The fine addresses alleged abuses linked to ATT, which Apple rolled out in April 2021. The framework requires apps to get explicit permission before tracking users across other apps and websites. Sounds noble on paper. But according to French regulators, Apple wasn’t playing fair.
FCA officials claim Apple leveraged ATT to gain an unfair advantage over competitors. The framework allegedly lacks neutrality, creating barriers for external advertising firms while conveniently benefiting Apple’s own ad services. Both the Autorité de la concurrence and CNIL collaborated closely to examine how data protection regulations interact with competition law in this case. Smaller publishers got the raw end of the deal, facing financial challenges from data collection limits. Big publishers? They barely felt a thing.
Apple’s privacy crusade? Less about protecting users, more about crushing competitors while its own ad business flourishes.
Apple, predictably, defended ATT as a privacy savior. The company insists all developers face identical rules under the framework. No special treatment. No exceptions. They expressed disappointment with the decision but noted no changes to ATT were mandated. Just a fine to pay and a week of posting the decision on their website. They’ll survive.
The case highlights growing tensions between privacy protection and fair competition. Regulators worldwide are increasingly eyeing tech giants’ business practices with suspicion. France’s move signals a trend. The fine covers Apple’s practices over a two-year period from April 2021 to July 2023.
For developers, the environment has shifted dramatically. Those reliant on ad revenue scramble for new strategies. First-party data is the new gold rush. Innovation might suffer if the money dries up.
The fine doesn’t exist in isolation. It follows a €1.8 billion penalty from the European Commission for music streaming practices and an €8 million fine from French data authorities for unauthorized data collection.
Apple’s European regulatory headaches aren’t ending anytime soon. Welcome to the new normal for Big Tech.
