France’s antitrust authority, Autorité de la concurrence, has fined Apple €150 million ($162 million) for misusing its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework to dominate the mobile app advertising market.
Apple introduced ATT in June 2020 and started enforcing it in April 2021 with iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5. The feature requires apps to ask for user permission before tracking their data for targeted ads. While the goal of ATT is to protect privacy, French regulators argue that its implementation unfairly harms smaller app publishers. Unlike major platforms, smaller publishers rely on third-party data collection for revenue. The watchdog found that ATT made it harder for them to target ads, giving Apple an unfair advantage.
The French regulator found that ATT’s implementation was not necessary or proportionate to Apple’s stated privacy goals. It noted that the framework creates an imbalance, as Apple exempts its own apps from the same rules, making them easier to access than third-party apps. Additionally, ATT’s consent process is overly complicated for users, requiring them to confirm tracking twice but allowing them to reject it with a single click. This discourages users from opting in, further harming smaller publishers who depend on advertising revenue.
Given Apple’s economic power and the long duration of the violation (April 26, 2021 – July 25, 2023), the regulator imposed a €150 million fine. Apple must also publish a summary of the decision on its website for seven days.
This is not the first time Apple has faced regulatory action in Europe. In March 2024, the European Commission fined Apple €1.8 billion ($1.95 billion) for restricting music streaming services from promoting cheaper alternatives outside the App Store. In 2022, France’s data protection authority (CNIL) fined Apple €8 million ($8.5 million) for collecting user data for App Store ads without consent. The latest fine adds to the growing pressure on Apple over its business practices in Europe.
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