Apple draws £2bn UK claim over tracking rules

Apple faces a proposed £2 billion class action in the United Kingdom, alleging that its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework unfairly favors the company's own advertising activities over third-party developers. The claim, filed on September 3 by ATT Collective Action Limited, seeks to represent an estimated 13,000 UK app developers.

The lawsuit alleges that Apple imposed stricter consent requirements on third-party apps compared to its own services, leading to reduced advertising revenue and increased customer acquisition costs for developers earning money through third-party iOS apps or spending on advertising those apps between April 2021 and September 2026.

Ann Pope, a former senior director for antitrust at the Competition and Markets Authority, is the proposed class representative. The dispute centers on the compatibility of ATT with data-protection requirements and how it affects developers' ability to monetize advertising or measure campaigns. Apple maintains that the ATT framework, introduced with iOS 14.5 in April 2021, grants users a simple way to decide whether apps may track their activity across other companies' apps and websites, and that it complies with the same privacy requirements as developers.

The case adds to regulatory scrutiny of ATT in Europe, with France and Italy imposing fines on Apple for perceived unfair implementation of the framework. Apple argues that its implementation is neutral and that the claim targets the unfairness in how ATT applies to developers versus its own advertising ecosystem.