Italy fines Apple almost €100 million: the regulator believes that App Store rules harmed developers
22 December 18:40
The Italian antitrust authority AGCM has fined the American company Apple and two of its divisions EUR 98.6 million for alleged abuse of a dominant position in the mobile application market. This was reported by Reuters, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The regulator concluded that Apple violated European competition rules in the App Store, where, according to the AGCM, the company has “absolute dominance” in its relations with third-party developers.
What are the claims?
The investigation, launched in May 2023, concerned the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy that Apple introduced in April 2021. According to the regulator, the company actually punished third-party developers by forcing them to comply with stricter and more restrictive privacy rules.
In particular, Apple required that third-party applications receive special consent from users to collect data and use it for advertising purposes through the standard ATT screen developed by Apple itself. At the same time, developers were forced to duplicate consent requests for the same purposes.
Regulator’s position
The AGCM stated that the terms of ATT’s policy were unilaterally imposed and harmed the interests of Apple’s business partners. According to the Italian regulator, these rules not only restricted competition but also did not meet the company’s declared goal of actually protecting user privacy.
The antitrust authority also emphasized that the consent procedure did not comply with the applicable personal data protection standards.
The investigation was complex and was conducted in coordination with the European Commission
The AGCM emphasizes that the investigation was complex and was conducted in close coordination with the European Commission and other international competition regulators. This is in line with the EU’s broader policy of tightening control over large tech companies and their digital ecosystems.
The Italian regulator’s decision is the latest episode in a series of conflicts between Apple and government agencies over the rules of its platforms. The company has repeatedly stated that its policy is aimed at protecting users’ privacy, while regulators and part of the market see it as a tool to restrict competition.
Earlier, Apple also publicly stated that it did not intend to comply with the Indian government’s requirement to pre-install a government cybersecurity application on smartphones.
The AGCM’s fine may become the basis for further inspections or court appeals by Apple. At the same time, this decision increases the pressure on the company in Europe, where regulators are increasingly interfering with the rules of operation of large digital platforms.
