Italy's competition authority, the AGCM, fined Apple and two of its divisions €98.6 million ($115.5 million). The regulator cited the company for abusing its dominant market position.
The AGCM found that Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy harms third-party app developers. Apple implemented the ATT framework in April 2021.
The authority stated that the ATT framework unfairly requires developers to obtain user consent for ad-related data tracking twice. This process is more burdensome than the requirements for Apple’s own services.
The AGCM concluded that this double consent requirement was disproportionate to the stated goal of data protection. The policy proved detrimental to developers who rely on advertising revenue. Apple violated Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.