Italy’s competition authority has fined Apple €98.6 million ($115 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the mobile app market.

Italy’s competition authority AGCM said Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy restricted competition by imposing unfair terms on third-party app developers.

The ATT rules, introduced in 2021, require developers to obtain explicit user consent for collecting and linking data for advertising purposes.

The authority found that Apple’s implementation forced developers to request consent twice for the same purpose, a process that does not meet privacy legislation requirements.

The authority said this “double consent” approach was harmful to developers, advertisers, and advertising platforms, as it limits the collection and use of data essential for personalized advertising.

“The terms of the ATT policy are imposed unilaterally and harm the interests of Apple’s commercial partners,” the authority said. It added that the policy is “disproportionate” to the company’s stated privacy objectives and that Apple could have achieved the same level of user protection with a single-step consent process.

The investigation, carried out in coordination with the European Commission, other national competition authorities, and the Italian Data Protection Authority, concluded that Apple holds a “super-dominant” position in the market for platforms supplying apps to iOS users.

The competition authority ruled that the company breached Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which prohibits abuse of a dominant market position.

Apple, which distributes apps globally through its App Store, has previously defended the ATT rules as a key measure to protect user privacy. (AA)

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