Without directly criticizing Apple’s data collection tools, the antitrust regulator has determined that the conditions surrounding its implementation amount to abuse of dominant market positions. The decision comes at a time of tension between the US and the EU over the handling of big technology.
France’s national competition regulators fined Apple 150 million euros on Monday. This cites the abuse of the dominant position in the distribution of mobile applications on iOS and iPads.
The French Competition Bureau’s decision is Apple’s data collection system, and regulators say it goes beyond what they need. Competition authority The company’s approach denies it “is necessary, but not proportional to Apple’s stated purpose of protecting personal data.”
In 2021, Apple introduced it App Tracking Transparency (att), a tool designed to allow users to have stronger control over their personal data. This feature allows users to agree to data collection regarding third-party applications within the iOS and iPados ecosystem and limit targeted ads unless expressly permitted.
While Apple has promoted ATT as a major step to protecting user privacy, French regulators argue that the system could help strengthen the company’s control by restricting access to valuable data.
In Monday’s decision, the French Watchdog did not question ATT itself, but determined that its implementation would “artificially complicate the use of third-party applications and distort the neutrality of the framework into the disadvantages of small advertising-financed publishers.”
According to French regulators, “I get multiple consent pop-ups and use third-party applications in an iOS environment.” “Ad tracking must be refused once, but users must always confirm consent for a second time,” he added.
The result was an asymmetric system, and according to the Anti-Trust Watchdog, publishers had to obtain double consent from users to track on third-party sites and applications, but Apple did not ask users of their own applications for consent.
Apple responded in a statement Monday, claiming that ATT “have stronger control over privacy about one thing through users’ needs, clear, easy to understand prompts.” “The prompts are consistent for all developers, including Apple, and provide strong support for this feature from consumers, privacy advocates and data protection authorities around the world.”
The EU plans to close two Apple investigations under the Digital Markets Act in the coming days. It targets App Store rules and whether app developers can’t notify users of non-appstore offers for free. The other concerns Apple’s browser options on the iPhone.
