Italy Fines Apple $115 Million Over Alleged App Store Antitrust Violations

Italy’s antitrust authority has fined Apple $115 million, accusing the tech giant of abusing its dominant position in the app distribution market through its App Store policies.

The Autorità Garante della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM) launched an investigation in May 2023, focusing on Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework introduced in iOS 14.5.

According to the AGCM, Apple enforced stricter privacy rules on third-party developers than it applied to itself. The ATT feature requires developers to display a prompt asking users for permission to track their activity across apps and websites. However, Apple’s own apps do not show this prompt, as the company claims they do not engage in user tracking.

The AGCM concluded that this discrepancy gives Apple an unfair advantage. In its ruling, the agency stated that Apple’s unilateral imposition of ATT on developers harms its business partners and is not proportionate to the privacy goals the company claims to uphold.

Apple has pushed back against the decision, saying it “strongly disagrees” with the findings. The company argues that the AGCM misunderstood how ATT works and overlooked the privacy benefits it provides to users.

Apple plans to appeal the ruling, and it is likely that the $115 million fine will not be enforced until the appeals process is complete.

Meanwhile, the AGCM has ordered Apple to stop what it calls “distortive behaviors” and to avoid similar conduct in the future. The company has been given 90 days to outline how it will comply with the regulator’s directives, though it remains unclear whether that deadline will be paused during the appeal.