Apple faces £2 billion lawsuit in UK over app privacy feature
The claim, filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal by law firm Hausfeld, centres on Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) system
Apple is facing a £2 billion lawsuit in the UK from app developers who claim the tech giant is giving its own advertising services an unfair advantage through its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) system. The claim, filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal by law firm Hausfeld, centers on the ATT feature introduced by Apple in 2021.
This system requires apps to obtain user consent before tracking their activity across other apps and websites, with those who decline losing access to user information used for targeted ads. The claimants argue that the system was designed unfairly, imposing stricter requirements on third-party app developers than on Apple's own services, leading to significant financial losses for UK app developers who couldn't adapt their business models in time.
Authorities in several European countries, including France, Germany, Italy, Romania, and Poland, have opened similar investigations into the ATT system, which Apple promotes as a privacy safeguard. The company was previously fined in France and Italy for similar issues. Apple maintains that the ATT feature was created to give users control over app tracking and disputes the allegations, stating that it is bound by the same requirements as all developers under the system and has been embraced by its customers and praised by privacy advocates.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
