The Italian Competition Authority has fined Apple EUR 98M for abusing its dominant position with the App Tracking Transparency policy. The policy, implemented in April 2021, requires third-party developers to obtain specific consent for data collection for advertising purposes. The Authority found the policy to be harmful to developers, advertisers, and advertising platforms.

The Italian Competition Authority imposed the fine on Apple for breaching article 102 of the TFEU in the market for app distribution to iOS users. The policy imposed by Apple on third-party developers through the App Tracking Transparency prompt was found to be restrictive and harmful to commercial partners. The double consent requirement for data collection for advertising purposes was deemed disproportionate and harmful to developers’ business models.

The Authority conducted a thorough investigation in coordination with the European Commission and other national competition authorities. The findings confirmed that the App Tracking Transparency policy imposed by Apple harms developers, advertisers, and advertising intermediation platforms. The unilateral imposition of terms by Apple was found to restrict the collection, linking, and use of user data for personalized online advertising.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: Italian Competition Authority fines Apple EUR 98M over app tracking