Poland’s competition watchdog, UOKiK, has launched an investigation into whether Apple is limiting competition in the mobile advertising market through its privacy rules.
The regulator is looking closely at Apple’s App Tracking Transparency system, introduced in iOS 14.5, which requires apps to get permission from users before tracking their data. According to UOKiK, this feature may make it harder for third-party apps to collect data for personalised ads while giving Apple’s own advertising services an unfair advantage.
UOKiK’s president, Tomasz Chrostny, said the policy could mislead users about how much privacy protection they are actually getting and at the same time strengthen Apple’s dominant position. If the investigation finds wrongdoing, Apple could face a penalty of up to 10 percent of its annual revenue in Poland.
Apple defended the feature, saying it was designed to give users more control over how companies track their behaviour online. The company said it is not surprising that firms relying on data tracking oppose these privacy protections. Apple added that pressure from such industries might even force it to remove this feature, which would harm European consumers. The company said it would work with the Polish regulator to keep the tool available.
Similar investigations into Apple’s tracking rules are also underway in Germany, Italy, and Romania. Earlier this year, a French regulator fined Apple 150 million euros over related issues.
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