France’s competition regulator has imposed a €150 million fine on Apple. The fine stems from Apple’s implementation of pop-up messages related to the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, which has been in use on iPhones and iPads since 2021. These pop-ups allow users to consent to or reject tracking for targeted advertising by third-party applications. The regulator claims that the system complicates the use of third-party apps and negatively impacts smaller publishers. These smaller entities heavily rely on advertising revenue, which is affected by the ATT framework. When users consent, apps can access the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), enabling tracking across devices. The French investigation began after complaints from advertising industry associations. While the intent of ATT is seen as beneficial for user privacy, its implementation is considered abusive under competition law. The framework’s design is said to disadvantage small publishers and force them to use alternative consent solutions, resulting in multiple pop-ups and increased complexity for users.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
