Italy Fines Apple $115 Million for App Store Antitrust Violations

Rome | EcoPulse24

Italy's competition authority has imposed a €98.6 million ($115.53 million) fine on Apple and two of its subsidiaries, accusing the company of abusing its dominant position in the distribution of iOS applications through the App Store. In an official statement, the authority explained that Apple violated Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union by exercising near-total control over the app distribution platform for iPhone and iPad users, enabling it to impose unfair conditions on third-party app developers.

The authority's decision focused on Apple's implementation of the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy, which requires app developers to obtain explicit user consent before collecting data for targeted advertising. The authority found that this policy is unilaterally imposed and harms Apple’s business partners, arguing it is disproportionate to Apple’s stated data protection goals. The current policy forces developers to request user consent twice for the same purpose, as the ATT prompt does not meet the requirements of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), forcing developers to implement additional consent mechanisms.

The investigation began in May 2023, in coordination with the European Commission, other national competition authorities, and Italy’s data protection authority. The authority found that since April 2021, Apple has imposed stricter privacy requirements on third-party developers. Apple responded that it will appeal the decision, defending ATT as necessary for user privacy and noting that its services (e.g., Siri, Maps, FaceTime, iMessage) are designed to prevent cross-service data linking.

Similar Major EU Tech Fines:

1. Apple – Music Streaming Fine (€1.84 billion – March 2024):
On March 4, 2024, the European Commission fined Apple €1.84 billion ($1.95 billion) for anti-competitive practices in the music streaming market. The investigation, initiated by a Spotify complaint, found Apple abused its dominant position for ten years by restricting developers from informing iOS users about alternative, cheaper music subscription options outside the App Store. The fine, representing 0.5% of Apple’s global revenue, is the third largest antitrust penalty by the EC. Apple has announced its intention to appeal.

2. Google – Shopping Service Fine (€2.42 billion – September 2024):
On September 10, 2024, Google lost its final legal appeal before the European Court of Justice against a €2.42 billion ($2.7 billion) fine imposed in June 2017 for abusing its dominance in search by giving illegal prominence to Google Shopping over rivals. The court upheld the EC’s findings, marking a milestone in digital regulation. Google had already complied by spinning off Google Shopping but continued to appeal unsuccessfully for seven years.

3. Apple and Meta – Digital Markets Act Fines (€700 million – April 2025):
On April 23, 2025, the EC imposed the first fines under the Digital Markets Act: €500 million on Apple and €200 million on Meta for non-compliance. Apple continued restricting developers from informing users about external offers, while Meta’s subscription or consent model for Facebook and Instagram was deemed to force users into accepting personalized ads. Both companies were given 60 days to comply, with potential escalating fines for continued violations.