France’s antitrust regulator, the Autorité de la concurrence, has fined Apple €150m ($162.3m) following an investigation into the company’s data tracking practices and their impact on advertisers.
The regulator determined that Apple abused its dominant position in the mobile app distribution sector on iOS and iPadOS devices between April 2021 and July 2023.
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The case centres on Apple’s app tracking transparency (ATT) framework, which requires app developers to seek user permission before tracking their activity across different applications and websites.
According to Autorité, while the ATT framework’s stated aim of protecting personal data is “not at its core problematic” its implementation was deemed “neither necessary nor proportionate with Apple’s stated objective of protecting personal data”.
The regulator found that the system imposed excessive complexity on third-party app publishers, forcing them to display multiple consent pop-ups, making it difficult for advertisers to comply with European data protection regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Competition officials also investigated whether Apple applied less stringent rules to its services compared to third-party developers.
The Autorité also found that the rules governing interactions between the various pop-up windows compromised the neutrality of the framework, resulting in economic harm to app publishers and advertising service providers.
The regulator also noted that Apple’s implementation of ATT disproportionately affected smaller publishers, as they rely more heavily on third-party data collection to sustain their business compared to larger, vertically integrated platforms.
The probe was launched after complaints from a group of advertisers, who argued that the 2021 policy changes negatively impacted their revenue streams.
Apple has maintained that its ATT framework enhances user privacy by ensuring that all apps request permission before tracking. The company has also stated that it complies with European regulatory requirements, Bloomberg reported.
In addition to the financial penalty, Autorité ordered Apple to publish a summary of the decision on its website for a period of seven consecutive days.
In March 2025, Apple averted a potential fine and an EU order regarding its browser options on iPhones, following the tech giant making changes to comply with the Digital Markets Act.
