France’s Competition Authority has imposed a 150 million euro (US$162 million) fine on Apple, stating that the company’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature unfairly disadvantages third-party publishers and advertising service providers.

Apple is also required to publish the decision on its website for seven days.

The authority criticized ATT, which requires user consent for tracking, saying it is unnecessary and disproportionate.

Introduced in 2021, ATT forces apps to request permission to track users across other apps and websites. If users decline, apps cannot access data for targeted ads.

Apple denies wrongdoing, arguing ATT gives users more control over privacy.

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