French watchdog fines Apple for abuse of app tracking tool

The fine follows complaints from online advertisers and publishers, accusing Apple of using its dominant position to penalise smaller businesses reliant on third-party data.
Apple was fined €150 million for allegedly misusing its market power with the App Tracking Transparency tool, but no changes were required to the tool itself.

Apple has been fined €150 million ($162.42 million) by French antitrust regulators for allegedly abusing its dominant position in mobile app advertising between 2021 and 2023. The fine is the first to be imposed on Apple over its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool.

While the tool, which allows iPhone and iPad users to control app tracking, is not criticised itself, the French competition watchdog claimed its implementation was excessive and not proportional to its goal of protecting personal data.

The French regulators stated that ATT particularly harmed smaller publishers, who rely heavily on third-party data for their business. Despite the fine, Apple was not required to modify the ATT tool.

The decision follows complaints from online advertisers, publishers, and internet networks, who accused Apple of misusing its market power. Apple expressed disappointment with the fine but noted that no changes to the tool were mandated.

The fine comes after a €1.8 billion penalty last year from the EU, which accused Apple of restricting music streaming competitors. Additionally, the German antitrust agency has launched a probe into Apple for allegedly giving itself preferential treatment with the same privacy tool.

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