Italian antitrust regulator fines Apple €98m over app tracking feature
22/12/2025 | Euronews
The Italian competition authority has fined Apple €98 million for abusing its dominant position in the iOS app distribution market. The regulator found that Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework unfairly treats third-party developers by requiring them to obtain duplicate user consent for processing advertising data. As such, the practice exceeds legal requirements and undermines ad-based business models without providing any proportional benefits to user privacy.
The investigation, supported by both the European Commission and the Italian data protection authority (DPA), concluded that Apple could have maintained privacy standards through a single-step consent process. The ruling reflects broader European scrutiny, following a €150 million fine issued by the French competition regulator in March 2025. Since its 2021 introduction, the ATT has faced considerable criticism for how it disadvantages competitors while potentially favouring Apple’s advertising business. By forcing developers to use standardised pop-ups that restrict data access if consent is refused, the regulator found Apple exploited its absolute dominance to the detriment of the wider app ecosystem.
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