Another day , anotherantitrust investigationinto a tech whale . This time , it ’s Apple : Germany ’s competition watchdog on Tuesday announced anew probeinto Apple ’s ticket of anti - tracking technical school that the company rolled outlast year .
The Bundeskartellamt ’s probe is in the main focused on Apple ’s App Tracking Transparency Framework ( or ATT , for shortsighted ) . For those unfamiliar , ATT is theset of rulesthat Apple roll out as part of iOS 14 that expect third - political party app developers to involve for license to track the users that download their apps — and when those users say no , ATT is what shuts off these apps ’ access to a mass of valuable drug user data point . You might tell apart it from the small windowpane that belt down up and asks you whether you want to give an app approach to your personal information , and you’re able to respond with “ expect app not to track ” or “ Allow . ”
Bundeskartellamt President Andreas Mundt mention on Tuesday that “ a corporation like Apple which is in a position to one-sidedly set pattern for its ecosystem , in finical for its App Store , should make pro - free-enterprise linguistic rule . ”
Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty Images)
Apple loves tobrand itselfas the privacy guardian that bravely stands up to unnumberable other technical school business firm that slurp up your data and do … well , whatevertheywantwith it . compositor’s case in point : An Apple representative reply to the German investigation by say , “ Privacy has always been at the center of our products and feature . ” course , those same companies were wild when ATT came into play . Perhaps the angriest was Facebook , whichwhinedearlier this year that this single update would be it an estimated $ 10 billion in targeted ad sales . Snapchat ’s CEO , Evan Spiegel , recentlychalked upa less - than stellar quarter for his own company to ATT as well . Stocks those two company , along with Twitter and Pinterest , tankedin the backwash of the update being roll up out .
iOS exploiter have hold opting out inrecord numbers , technical school firms have continued to sweat , and Apple ’s continued runningglossy TV campaignsabout its privateness - preserving products . So what ’s the issue ?
Well , there are a few , according to the Bundeskartellamt ’s ill . For one thing , ATT does n’t opt iOS owners out of Apple ’s own trailing of their doings across their twist . At the same time , Apple ’s been bring out its own pay - to - play advertizing product — like ads gracing the top of yourApp Store search consequence — that are micro - aim with data point that ’s now unavailable to other advertisers . One psychoanalyst of late estimated that Apple ’s advertising business , which is already worth a hefty $ 2 billion , could grow 10 - foldby 2025 .
Taken together , some hustler in the adtech spacehave calledATT a “ blatant market snap . ” The obvious need for drug user seclusion might be a agent beat back the move , they say , but ultimately , commercial-grade agent — like growing its fledgling ads business — were the real inducement , they said .
Now , it ’s depend like German regulators might match . “ We have reason to doubt that this is the case when we see that Apple ’s rules apply to third parties , but not to Apple itself , ” Mundt articulate .
This fresh examination over ATT follows similar probes from contention authorities inFrance , Britain , andPolandover the same .
We ’ve reached out to Apple for comment about the case . In a statementto Techcrunch , a caller spokesperson had this to volunteer :
At Apple , we believe that a user ’s data belongs to them and they should get to decide whether to share their data and with whom . We have long believed in the power of advertizing to unite business with customer — and that you could have great advertizement with great privacy . App Tracking Transparency ( ATT ) simply gives users the choice whether or not they want to allow apps to give chase them or share their information with information broker . ATT does not forestall companies from advertizing or restrict their function of the first - party data point they incur from users with their consent .
These rules practice equally to all developer — include Apple — and we have received impregnable sustenance from regulators and seclusion counselor-at-law for this feature . Apple holds itself to a higher privacy banner than almost any other company by providing users with an approbatory choice as to whether or not they would wish personalized ads at all .
We will continue to occupy constructively with the FCO to address any of their questions and discuss how our coming promotes competition and choice , while protect users ’ privacy and certificate .
personalise or otherwise , it still seems like Apple is doing whatever it can tolure advertisers — and their dollars — away from the other tech giants . Given that these European contention authorities are occupy with precluding monopolies more so than shielding user data , there ’s a probability that Apple ’s pleas about seclusion protection might be come down on indifferent ears .
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