Apple was fined $116 million over app privacy claims

Apple was fined more than 98 million euros (about $116 million) by the Italian antitrust authority for… “Overly onerous” privacy rules. Forces third-party applications. the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) Apple has abused its dominant position in the App Store market by burdening developers with “disproportionate” terms around data collection that go beyond privacy law requirements, compared to the rules for native iOS apps, Apple says.

The fine is specifically targeted Application Tracking Transparency (ATT) The policy, launched by Apple in 2021, requires third-party developers to ask users for consent twice to track their data across apps and other websites. Apple’s own apps can obtain this permission with one click. The AGCM says the burden of consenting twice resulted in lower user consent rates for ad profiles, hurting developers whose business models depend on revenue generated from personalized ads.

“The Authority has demonstrated that the terms of the ATT Policy are unilaterally imposed and harmful to the interests of Apple’s business partners,” the AGCM said in its announcement. “Requiring dual consent makes ATT’s policy disproportionate, as Apple should have ensured the same level of privacy protection for users by allowing developers to obtain consent for profiling in one step.”