Italy Fines Apple €100 Million Over Alleged Abuse of App-Tracking Rules

Italy’s competition watchdog, the AGCM, announced Monday that it has fined Apple and two of its subsidiaries €98 million (about $115 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the mobile‑app market. The regulator says Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) prompts are imposed unilaterally, forcing third‑party developers to jump through extra hoops to get consent for data collection and even making them repeat the same request. The AGCM argues the policy harms Apple’s commercial partners and isn’t proportionate to the privacy goal it claims to serve .

Apple has not yet commented, but the company is expected to appeal the decision, maintaining that ATT protects user privacy and applies equally to all developers. The fine comes as part of a broader European crackdown on big‑tech practices, following a €150 million penalty from French antitrust authorities earlier this year.

The case highlights the growing tension between app‑store gatekeepers and developers who feel the rules tilt the playing field in favor of the platform owners. As regulators keep a close eye on digital markets, the outcome of this dispute could shape how other tech giants structure their privacy tools worldwide.