Overview
- Apple told the German Press Agency that intense lobbying in Germany, Italy and other European countries may force it to withdraw App Tracking Transparency, which it says would harm consumers.
- App Tracking Transparency lets users decide whether apps can track activity across other apps and websites by blocking access to the advertising identifier without explicit permission.
- Germany’s Federal Cartel Office delivered a preliminary assessment in February 2025 that ATT may be abusive and not equally applied to Apple’s own services.
- France’s competition authority fined Apple €150 million in March over ATT implementation, and Italy’s competition regulator is conducting a parallel probe with a decision expected later this year.
- Apple says it has offered solutions but argues proposed remedies would weaken ATT, warning that shutting it off would broaden advertiser tracking and reshape the ad‑supported app model.