FRANKFURT: Apple's privacy guard might break EU and German law, Germany's competition regulator said in a preliminary legal assessment sent to the US tech giant Thursday.
The App Tracking Transparency Software Framework (ATTF) could be providing an illegal advantage by denying app developers user data which Apple keeps for itself, the Bundeskartellamt (BKA) said.
The ATTF, rolled out in iOS updates released in 2021, asks users to consent to apps tracking their activity in order to serve targeted advertisements.
The BKA said users are asked for consent less frequently when using Apple services than when using apps made by third-party developers.
"For us, it is key that users can make a free and informed decision about whether or not their data may be used for personalised advertising at all," said BKA President Andreas Mundt.
"The question at hand is whether Apple is allowed to apply stricter criteria to other providers than to itself when it comes to requesting such user consent," he added.
An Apple spokesperson told AFP that privacy was very important to the company.
"We firmly believe that users should control when their data is shared, and with whom, and will continue to constructively engage with the Federal Cartel Office to ensure users continue to have transparency and control over their data," the spokesperson said.
Meta, the owner of platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp, has previously complained about Apple's feature and in 2022 said it expected a US$10bil (RM44bil) hit from it.
The preliminary finding comes as transatlantic trade tensions run high over tariffs threatened on the European Union by US President Donald Trump.
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg suggested last month on the Joe Rogan podcast that Trump should speak up for American tech companies facing antitrust action in Europe.
"If some other country was screwing with another industry that we cared about, the US government would probably find some way to put pressure on them," he said. – AFP
