Apple Faces Hefty Fine Over Privacy Tool

In a landmark decision, French antitrust regulators have imposed a €150 million fine on Apple. The penalty stems from allegations of market dominance abuse through its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool, a feature designed to give users more control over their data.

Global First Antitrust Penalty

This fine represents the first global antitrust penalty related to the ATT feature, which has been a point of contention since its introduction. The tool allows users to decide whether third-party apps can track their activity across Apple devices.

Unfair Advantage Allegations

The French Competition Authority acknowledged the validity of privacy protection aims but concluded that Apple's implementation of ATT unfairly disadvantaged smaller advertisers and publishers, tilting the playing field in favor of the tech giant.