France Fines Apple €150M for Ad Antitrust Violations

France's antitrust regulator has fined Apple €150 million ($162 million) for abusing its dominant position in mobile app advertising through its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature. The French Competition Authority found that while the objective of ATT to protect user privacy was valid, the method of implementation was disproportionate and unnecessarily complex. The decision mandates Apple to publish the ruling on its website for seven days. Critics argue that Apple's system requires excessive consent windows, effectively promoting Apple's advertising services over competitors and harming smaller publishers reliant on third-party data. Similar investigations into Apple's ATT practices are underway in Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland. Apple expressed disappointment but noted no immediate changes to ATT were required by the French authorities.