French antitrust authorities fined Apple 150 million euros ($162 million) over its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, which has also faced scrutiny in other European countries. The watchdog criticized the feature for being “unnecessary” and “disproportionate,” arguing it penalizes third-party publishers.
In addition to the fine, Apple must publish the decision on its website for seven days. Similar investigations are ongoing in Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland.
Apple expressed disappointment but noted that the French authority did not require any changes to ATT. The feature, introduced in 2021, requires apps to obtain user consent before tracking activity across other apps and websites. Critics claim it promotes Apple’s own advertising services while limiting competitors.
France’s Competition Authority argued that ATT creates excessive consent pop-ups for third-party apps and forces users to opt out of tracking twice, causing harm to smaller publishers. The decision follows complaints from advertisers that ATT hinders user targeting.
Benoit Coeure, head of the authority, described the fine as “reasonable” given Apple’s revenue, which surpassed $400 billion last year. Apple defended ATT, stating it gives users more control over their privacy.
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