France's antitrust watchdog fined Apple 150 million euros (162.3 million U.S. dollars) on Monday for abusing its dominant position in mobile app advertising on its devices between April 2021 and July 2023 thanks to a privacy control tool.
The French Competition Authority said the way Apple implemented its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) software was neither necessary nor proportionate to the company's stated objective of protecting personal data and penalized third-party publishers.
Apple rolled out the ATT starting in April 2021 as part of an update to the operating system powering the iPhone and iPad. The feature forces apps to obtain permission before collecting data to target users with personalized ads.
According to the French regulator, multiple consent pop-ups are displayed, making the use of third-party applications in the iOS environment excessively complex. Apple treated itself and publishers differently, which was particularly harmful for small publishers.
The antitrust watchdog said whereby publishers were required to obtain double consent from users for tracking on third-party sites and applications, while Apple did not ask for consent from users of its own applications.
In addition to the fine, the French regulator has ordered Apple to publish the decision on its website for seven days.
France fines Apple 150 million euros for abusing dominant position
