Germany’s antitrust agency is investigating Apple’s tracking regulations for third-party applications. The agency wants to determine whether the tech giant is obstructing other businesses.
Andreas Mundt, the agency’s president, said that Germany favours data-friendly business models that offer people control over how their data is used. He added that a corporation like Apple, which can unilaterally determine the rules in its ecosystem, should do so competitively.
According to the antitrust agency, Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) architecture demands consumers provide additional authorization to have their data acquired through tracking on apps that aren’t from Apple. The approach is deemed uncompetitive and possibly illegal.
Apple says it is willing to cooperate
Apps that track users can collect data that can be used for advertising, such as tailored ads. An Apple spokesperson said it will engage constructively with the agency to fix any concerns and clarify its approach to tracking regulations. The spokeswoman said that ATT does not prevent businesses from presenting adverts while letting customers protect their privacy.
EU regulators leverage new regulatory policies
The regulator can ban corporations with a particular market weight from engaging in actions that undermine market competition under new laws that took effect in 2021. In the meantime, the agency has employed the power to initiate legal action against Facebook, Amazon, and Google. In May of last year, the agency began investigating Google’s usage of personal data and news choices provided through Google News Showcase.
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