In a statement to the German Press Agency, Apple claimed that it may have to turn off App Tracking Transparency in Europe as a result of “intense lobbying efforts”. Here’s why.
A bit of context
In May 2021, Apple introduced App Tracking Transparency (ATT), a privacy feature that lets users choose whether apps can track their activity across other companies’ apps and websites for advertising or data-sharing purposes.
Following the rollout of the feature, cross-app and cross-site tracking declined sharply, with at least one study reporting a 54.7% drop in tracking rates in the United States alone.
The move had an immediate, but limited impact on online advertising, with companies such as Meta allegedly finding workarounds to bypass ATT and keep advertising numbers up.
Other companies and groups decided to take the matter to courts and to regulatory bodies, accusing Apple of anticompetitive behavior. Some of these, Apple claims, may force it to shut down the feature in Europe.
’Intense lobbying efforts’
In its statement issued earlier this week to the German Press Agency, Apple said the following:
“Intense lobbying efforts in Germany, Italy and other countries in Europe may force us to withdraw this feature to the detriment of European consumers. (…) We will continue to urge the relevant authorities in Germany, Italy and across Europe to allow Apple to continue providing this important privacy tool to our users.”
Specifically, when it comes to Germany, the country’s Federal Cartel Office concluded earlier this year in a preliminary assessment that ATT was potentially anticompetitive, as Apple allegedly didn’t apply the same privacy standards to its own apps. Apple was also fined in France over ATT a few months ago.
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