France Mulls Antitrust Action Against Apple

According to a report by Axios on Tuesday, France’s antitrust regulator is planning to conduct an investigation into Apple Inc following complaints related to changes made by the company to its app tracking policies in 2021.

According to the report, French regulators plan to issue a “Statement of Objections” to relevant parties in the near future.

Apple once permitted the use of anonymous tracking IDs by apps to connect ad delivery with website visits. This allowed developers to present personalized ads within their apps, generating higher revenue than generic ads.The introduction of App Tracking Transparency has resulted in changes. App developers are now required to request permission before tracking. If permission is denied, the apps cannot use the tracking system.

Read more: France-Based Developers Team Up With Hagens Berman In Apple’s App Fees Class-Action

The German antitrust regulator last week found that this behavior meant that Apple was a legitimate target for special measures designed to prevent abuse of market dominance.

Axios reports that France is about to progress its own investigation into the same issue.