Apple Claims to be Pressured to Disable App Tracking Transparency in Europe

Apple said this week that it may disable its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature in Europe due to pressure from the advertising industry and local regulators. The privacy feature, which made its debut in iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, and tvOS 14.5, requires apps to ask for permission before tracking users’ activity across other companies’ apps and websites.

“Intense lobbying efforts in Germany, Italy and other countries in Europe may force us to withdraw this feature to the detriment of European consumers,” Apple said in a statement shared with the German Press Agency (DPA).

ATT has been quite disruptive for the business model of companies like Facebook that make money by tracking users across websites and apps. In 2022, Apple promoted the feature with a video ad that mocked advertisers as greedy bidders auctioning for users’ data.

That same year, Germany started scrutinizing the feature, and the country’s Federal Cartel Office said in a preliminary review published in February that Apple gives its own apps preferential treatment. “The strict requirements under the ATTF only apply to third-party app providers, not to Apple itself,” the German antitrust group said at the time.

In March, the French antitrust regulatory body also fined Apple €150 million for “abusing its dominant position in the sector for the distribution of mobile applications” due to its App Tracking Transparency feature. ATT is also under scrutiny in Italy, with the local competition authorities expected to share their conclusions later this year.

Apple often touts its “privacy by design” approach for marketing purposes, and the company appears to be willing to work with regulators to continue offering ATT to EU users. “We will continue to urge the relevant authorities in Germany, Italy and across Europe to allow Apple to continue providing this important privacy tool to our users,” Apple said.