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The
company rolled out ATT starting in April 2021 as part of an
update to the operating system powering the iPhone and iPad.
While the feature was designed to tighten up privacy, it faced
criticism from Big Tech rivals that it would make it harder for
smaller apps to survive without charging consumers.
The authority didn’t criticize the policy per se, but the fact
that the Apple system requires third-party app makers to ask
users for consent twice in order to comply with Europe’s strict
privacy rules.
“As a result, such double consent requirement is harmful to
developers, whose business model relies on the sale of
advertising space, as well as to advertisers and advertising
intermediation platforms,” the authority said.
The authority said that the double consent required was
“disproportionate” to the stated goal of data protection.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based company said it strongly disagreed
with the finding and would appeal it, saying it disregarded the
privacy protections of the policy “in favor of ad tech companies
and data brokers who want unfettered access to users’ personal
data."
“At Apple, we believe privacy is a fundamental human right, and
we created App Tracking Transparency to give users a simple way
to control whether companies can track their activity across
other apps and websites," Apple said in a statement. “These
rules apply equally to all developers, including Apple, and have
been embraced by our customers and praised by privacy advocates
and data protection authorities around the world."
The Italy antitrust finding is similar to one by the French
antitrust watchdog, which in March fined Apple 150 million euros
($162 million) over the consent feature.
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