Apple Fined €150 Million! France's Regulator Raps Tech Giant

France’s antitrust regulator has imposed a €150 million ($162 million) penalty on Apple for abusing its dominant position in mobile app distribution on iOS and iPad devices from April 2021 to July 2023.

The French Competition Authority announced the decision on Monday, targeting Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework, a privacy tool rolled out to let users opt into data collection by third-party apps.

While the authority acknowledged that ATT’s goal of enhancing user privacy wasn’t inherently flawed, it ruled that Apple’s execution crossed the line. “The way in which it was implemented was neither necessary nor proportionate to Apple’s stated objective of protecting personal data,” the regulator stated.

The framework mandates consent prompts for iPhone and iPad users, displayed in a partially standardized format, but critics argue it gave Apple an unfair edge over competitors.

The fine reflects broader scrutiny of Apple’s ecosystem dominance, echoing a €1.8 billion EU penalty in 2024 over music streaming rules.

Apple, which operates the only app distribution channel for iOS, has been accused of leveraging ATT to hinder third-party advertisers while bolstering its own ad business. The authority’s ruling adds pressure on the tech giant as Europe’s Digital Markets Act tightens oversight of such practices.

Apple has signaled it may appeal, defending ATT as a privacy-first innovation. For now, the €150 million hit—small against Apple’s $2 trillion valuation—marks another chapter in its regulatory battles, spotlighting the fine line between user protection and market control. As France joins Germany and the EU in challenging Apple’s policies, the global tech landscape braces for further fallout.