Italy’s competition authority (AGCM) has fined U.S. tech giant Apple and two of its divisions €98.6 million ($115.5 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the mobile app market.
The regulator said Apple’s App Store, where it holds “absolute dominance,” imposed restrictive policies on third-party developers, violating European competition rules. The probe, launched in May 2023, focused on Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompt, which required developers to obtain specific consent for data collection and advertising purposes.
AGCM argued that Apple’s unilateral terms were harmful to developers, forcing them to duplicate consent requests and imposing restrictions disproportionate to privacy objectives. “The terms of the ATT policy are detrimental to the interests of Apple’s business partners and do not comply with privacy regulations,” the regulator said.
Apple responded that it “strongly disagrees” with the decision, asserting that ATT provides important user privacy protections and applies equally to all developers. The company plans to appeal the ruling while reiterating its commitment to safeguarding privacy.
AGCM noted that the investigation was complex and conducted in coordination with the European Commission and other international antitrust authorities.
