WHAT IS THE ISSUE?
In its March 31, 2025 decision, the French Competition Authority ruled that Apple abused its dominant position by imposing its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework on app publishers and the whole ecosystem of companies in the Apple App Store. The Authority found that Apple’s ATT mechanism harmed competition by creating an uneven playing field for third-party publishers, forcing users to navigate multiple pop-ups, while Apple’s own apps did not comply with EU privacy regulation and faced fewer restrictions—effectively penalizing publishers and other ad-tech companies. The practice was deemed excessive, non-transparent, unnecessary, and disproportionate, and has affected all players operating within the online advertising value chain within the iOS environment.
WHO IS AFFECTED BY APPLE’S APP TRACKING TRANSPARENCY?
Apple’s ATT framework was found to adversely affect a wide range of organizations in the iOS ecosystem. These include mobile app publishers, ad-tech intermediation service providers (e.g., ad network providers, SSPs and DSPs, ad server providers, performance measurement service providers, and retargeting services providers), and advertisers. The extent of harm varies depending on each party’s role in the app ecosystem and their reliance on access to user data within the iOS environment.