France’s antitrust regulator has fined Apple €150 million ($162 million) over its App Tracking Transparency
(ATT) feature, ruling that its implementation violated competition laws. While the feature was designed to protect users from apps tracking their activity without consent, the French Competition Authority found that Apple’s approach was neither necessary nor proportionate to its stated goal of safeguarding personal data.
Apple introduced ATT in April 2021 as part of an iOS and iPadOS update, requiring apps to obtain user permission before collecting data for targeted advertising. Although this privacy measure was widely praised, it sparked backlash from major tech companies, which argued that it disproportionately harmed smaller app developers that rely on ad revenue to remain free for users.
The fine covers Apple’s conduct between April 2021 and July 2023, penalizing the company for abusing its dominant position in mobile app distribution. However, the amount is relatively minor for Apple, which generated $124 billion in revenue in the last quarter of 2024 alone.
According to the watchdog, ATT’s rollout led to an overwhelming number of pop-up requests from third-party apps, making it excessively difficult for users to navigate the iOS ecosystem. It also raised concerns about fairness, stating that smaller developers were unfairly disadvantaged since they depend heavily on third-party data collection to sustain their businesses.
In response, Apple defended ATT, stating that it provides users with clear and consistent privacy controls for all developers, including Apple itself. The company emphasized strong support from consumers, privacy advocates, and data protection authorities. While Apple expressed disappointment with the decision, it noted that the French Competition Authority had not mandated any changes to ATT.
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