By COMFORT OGBONNA
Apple will change the way it asks iPhone and iPad users for permission to share personal data for targeted advertising after Germany’s competition authority concluded a years-long investigation into the company’s App Tracking Transparency system.
The Federal Cartel Office said Apple’s rules gave the company’s own applications more favorable treatment than third-party apps when requesting users’ permission to track their activity. The authority determined that the system could put competing developers at a disadvantage and potentially violate competition regulations.
Under commitments agreed with the authority, Apple will have four months after receiving the formal decision to implement the required changes. The commitments will remain in effect for seven years and will be monitored by an independent trustee.
A major part of the changes involves the consent notifications presented to users. Third-party applications will have to use redesigned permission prompts that are visually and linguistically neutral. The new design will be required to remove wording, symbols and other features that could discourage users from granting permission.
The changes are intended to ensure that users receive comparable choices when deciding whether to allow Apple and third-party developers to access data used for advertising purposes.
Third-party developers will also receive greater flexibility in combining Apple’s mandatory tracking permission request with their own privacy and data-protection consent notices. The adjustment could make it easier for developers to explain how personal information is collected and used while asking users for multiple forms of consent.
Apple said the changes would apply in almost all European Union countries. The company also said it had already modified the wording and design of its consent prompt at the request of the German authority.
The dispute centers on Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework, which requires applications to obtain permission before tracking users across other companies’ apps and websites for advertising purposes. Apple introduced the system as a privacy measure, giving users greater control over how their information is collected and used.
However, advertising-dependent developers have argued that the system can make it more difficult to obtain consent for personalized advertising. Accurate information about users’ interests and behavior allows advertisers to deliver more targeted campaigns, which can generate greater revenue than advertisements aimed at broad audiences.
The rules have therefore become a major point of tension between Apple, app developers and advertising businesses. Developers argue that restrictions on tracking can affect their ability to monetize applications, while Apple maintains that users should have meaningful control over their personal information.
The German investigation is part of a broader European regulatory examination of Apple’s business practices. Authorities in other major European markets have also taken action over the company’s tracking framework.
France previously imposed a €150 million fine on Apple over the system, while Italy issued a separate penalty of €98.6 million. The regulatory actions reflect growing scrutiny across Europe over how major technology companies design privacy controls and whether those systems treat their own services differently from competing businesses.
The German authority’s decision does not require Apple to abandon App Tracking Transparency. Instead, it focuses on how consent is presented and how third-party developers are allowed to interact with Apple’s consent requirements.
For Apple, the decision adds another regulatory obligation to its growing list of European compliance requirements. For app developers, the changes could provide greater freedom to explain their data practices and seek advertising-related consent from users.
The seven-year duration of the commitments means Apple’s consent practices will remain under regulatory oversight for an extended period, potentially shaping how privacy permissions are presented on iPhones and iPads across much of Europe.
Original article
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