**Italian Regulator Rules Apple's ATT Feature Limits Competition**

Italian regulator slams Apple with €98.6 million fine for abusing dominant position in App Store

The Italian antitrust authority has fined Apple €98.6 million ($116 million) for violating competition laws by imposing its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, which limits competition in the App Store. The authority's decision marks a significant blow to Apple's dominance in the mobile app market and highlights concerns over the tech giant's increasingly restrictive policies.

**"A clear case of abuse of dominant position"**

According to the press release published by Italy's antitrust authority, Apple breached article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) in the market for supplying platforms for the online distribution of apps to iOS users. The Italian Competition Authority stated that Apple holds a "super-dominant position" through its App Store, allowing it to unilaterally impose ATT rules.

**Double consent prompts slammed as excessive**

The authority criticized Apple's double consent prompts for developers as excessive and disproportionate, while Apple's own apps are granted single-tap permission. The IT giant's policy requires developers to obtain user consent twice: once to access the Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) and again to track and target ads.

"This is a clear case of abuse of dominant position," said the press release. "The double consent request renders the ATT policy disproportionate, since Apple should have ensured the same level of privacy protection for users by allowing developers to obtain consent to profiling in a single step."

**"Lack of proportionality"**

The Italian Competition Authority pointed out that Apple's dominant App Store position allows it to impose its policies unilaterally. The authority concluded that "the lack of proportionality of the ATT policy with respect to the achievement of the alleged objectives of enhanced privacy protection is confirmed by the body of evidence demonstrating that those objectives could have been achieved without imposing a mechanism requiring double consent."

**Apple to appeal the ruling**

In response to the Italian regulator's decision, Apple announced its intention to appeal. The company reaffirmed its commitment to strong privacy protections and stated that its rules apply equally to all developers.

"We are disappointed with this decision and will continue to fight for our customers' right to know what data is being used by companies like Facebook," said an Apple spokesperson. "We believe our App Tracking Transparency feature provides a better experience for users, while also giving them more control over their own data."

**A precedent for future regulation?**

The Italian regulator's decision sets a significant precedent for future regulation of tech giants. France's Autorité de la concurrence fined Apple €150 million in April 2025 for abusing its dominance in App Tracking Transparency (ATT) consent practices on iOS and iPadOS.

As governments around the world continue to scrutinize the business practices of tech giants, this ruling serves as a reminder that competition authorities will not tolerate abuses of dominant position. The Italian regulator's decision marks a significant step towards promoting fair competition in the digital economy.

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