France's competition watchdog has imposed a hefty €150 million ($162.36 million) fine on tech giant Apple for unfairly leveraging its market dominance through its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature.
The French Competition Authority ruled that Apple abused its commanding position in mobile app distribution for iOS and iPadOS devices between April 2021 and July 2023. The regulator took issue with how Apple implemented the ATT system, which requires iPhone and iPad users to explicitly consent before apps can track their data.
While Apple positioned ATT as a privacy protection measure, French authorities found the implementation methods were neither necessary nor proportionate to achieve that stated goal. The watchdog determined that Apple's approach artificially complicated the user experience for third-party applications while creating an uneven playing field that disadvantaged smaller publishers.
The ruling highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of Apple's control over its mobile ecosystem. By imposing strict tracking rules on other companies while potentially benefiting from privileged access to user data, Apple faces accusations of exploiting its gatekeeper role in the mobile app market.
This latest penalty adds to mounting regulatory pressure on Apple's App Store practices across Europe. The €150 million fine serves as a clear message that competition authorities are closely monitoring how tech platforms balance privacy protections with fair market access.
Apple now faces the challenge of modifying its tracking transparency framework to address competition concerns while maintaining its commitment to user privacy. The French decision could influence how other regulators approach similar issues around mobile platform governance.