French antitrust authorities have fined Apple €150 million ($162 million) over its App Tracking Transparency feature, saying it unfairly affects third-party publishers while promoting Apple’s own advertising services.
The French Competition Authority announced the fine on Monday, stating that Apple’s system is “neither necessary nor proportionate to the company’s stated goal to protect user data.”
Apart from the fine, Apple is also required to publish the decision on its website for seven days.
The ATT feature, introduced in 2021, requires apps to get user permission before tracking their activity across other apps and websites. If a user refuses, the app loses access to their advertising identifier, which is used for targeted ads.
Critics argue that while Apple promotes ATT as a privacy safeguard, the system gives an advantage to its own advertising services by making it harder for competitors to track users.
The French authority also found that ATT makes third-party apps display too many consent windows, making it inconvenient for users. Additionally, it noted that Apple’s system requires users to opt out of tracking twice instead of once, which “undermines the neutrality of the feature.”
The decision comes after years of complaints from advertising companies, who said ATT hurt their ability to target users. Investigations into Apple’s practices are also ongoing in Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland.
