Italy’s competition authority announced on Monday that it has fined U.S. tech giant Apple €98 million (about $115 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the mobile app market.
In a statement, the Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) said Apple breached competition rules by imposing privacy restrictions on third-party developers in a market where it holds a “super-dominant position” through its App Store.
Apple said it plans to appeal the ruling and defended its approach, stating that it provides “strong privacy protections for our users.”
However, the AGCM concluded that its investigation revealed the “restrictive nature” of the privacy rules Apple enforces on third-party apps distributed via the App Store. According to the regulator, Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) rules are applied unilaterally and harm the interests of Apple’s commercial partners.
Earlier this year, French antitrust authorities fined Apple €150 million over the same app tracking privacy feature. Regulators in other European countries have also launched similar investigations into ATT, which Apple presents as a tool to protect user privacy.
Introduced in 2021, ATT requires apps to request user consent through a pop-up message before tracking activity across other apps and websites. If users refuse, the app loses access to data used for targeted advertising.
Critics argue that Apple uses this system to favor its own advertising services while limiting competitors. Apple, however, said its privacy rules “have been embraced by our customers and praised by privacy advocates and data protection authorities around the world.”
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