Apple has secured a significant legal victory in Europe as the French Council of State officially ruled in favor of the company’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, as reported by La Tribune. This decision marks the end of a long-standing battle with advertising groups who claimed the privacy tool was anticompetitive.
The App Tracking Transparency framework, introduced with iOS 14.5, requires apps to ask for explicit user permission before tracking their activity across other companies’ apps and websites. While privacy advocates cheered the move, the digital advertising industry was quick to push back. They argued that the feature gave Apple an unfair advantage in the mobile advertising market.
The legal challenge was spearheaded by several French advertising associations. They alleged that Apple was using privacy as a “shield” to consolidate its power and harm third-party developers. The groups claimed that Apple’s own advertising services were not subject to the same strict rules, creating an uneven playing field for competitors.
However, the French court found no evidence of such abuse. The ruling stated that Apple’s implementation of ATT does not violate competition law because it applies a consistent standard for user protection. The court noted that the feature provides users with clear control over their personal data, which aligns with modern data protection goals.
This final decision reinforces a previous stance taken by France’s competition authority, the Autorité de la concurrence. After years of investigation, the authorities concluded that the privacy benefits for consumers outweighed the claims of market harm. The impact of ATT on the advertising industry has been substantial, with many companies reporting lower ad revenues since its launch. Despite this, Apple remains firm in its stance that privacy is a fundamental human right.
What do you think about the court’s decision? Do you prefer having the choice to opt out of tracking, or do you find the prompts unnecessary? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Stay updated with the latest news on this by downloading the Appleosophy App from the App Store or by visiting our website.
