Apple fined $116 million over app privacy prompts

Apple has been fined much than €98 cardinal (about $116 million) by Italy’s antitrust regulator complete the “excessively burdensome” privateness rules it imposes connected third-party apps. The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) says that Apple abused its ascendant app shop marketplace position by burdening developers pinch “disproportionate” position astir information postulation that transcend privateness rule requirements, compared to rules for autochthonal iOS apps.

The good specifically targets the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) argumentation Apple launched successful 2021, which requires third-party developers to inquire users for consent doubly to way their information crossed different apps and websites. Apple’s ain apps tin get this support successful a azygous tap. AGCM says that the load of consenting doubly led to a simplification successful personification consent rates for advertizing profiling, frankincense harming developers whose business models dangle upon gross generated by personalized ads.

“The Authority established that the position of the ATT argumentation are imposed unilaterally and harm the interests of Apple’s commercialized partners,” the AGCM said successful its announcement. ”The double consent petition renders the ATT argumentation disproportionate, since Apple should person ensured the aforesaid level of privateness protection for users by allowing developers to get consent to profiling successful a azygous step.”

This follows the Cupertino institution being fined $162.4 cardinal by France’s title watchdog successful March complete akin concerns pinch Apple’s ATT system. Apple said successful a connection to Reuters that it “strongly disagrees” pinch the AGCM and will entreaty the decision, pushing its committedness “to take sides beardown privateness protections.”