According to Silicon Republic, Italy’s competition authority, the AGCM, has fined Apple €98.6 million. The regulator found the company abused its “super-dominant position” in the app distribution market via the App Store. The investigation, which began in 2023, focused specifically on Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy that launched in 2021. The AGCM states the policy forces third-party developers to present users with double consent requests for data collection, which doesn’t comply with privacy rules and harms developers who rely on ad revenue. This isn’t Apple’s first run-in with the AGCM, which also fined the company €10 million back in 2021 over unclear data usage disclosures. The latest probe was conducted alongside the European Commission and other national authorities.
The Developer Squeeze
Here’s the thing: this fine cuts to the heart of a massive tension in the tech ecosystem. On one hand, Apple markets ATT as a huge win for user privacy, and many consumers love it. But for third-party app developers, it’s a different story. The AGCM is basically saying Apple’s rules are “disproportionate” and create an uneven playing field. By requiring a separate, extra layer of consent, Apple makes it harder for other companies to gather the data needed for personalized ads. So who loses? The developers whose business models depend on selling that ad space. It’s a classic case of a platform owner changing the rules in a way that benefits itself—Apple’s own ad business doesn’t face the same hurdles—while squeezing its commercial partners. Pretty slick, right?
Broader Market Ramifications
This isn’t just an Italian problem. It’s another front in the wider war against Big Tech’s gatekeeping power, especially in Europe. The fact that the AGCM worked with the European Commission on this probe is a big signal. It suggests we might see more coordinated action across the bloc. For enterprises and markets, it reinforces that regulators are looking beyond just app store fees now. They’re scrutinizing the entire structure of control, including how privacy tools can be weaponized to entrench dominance. So, what does this mean for Apple? It’s another costly legal headache in Europe, adding to the pressures from the Digital Markets Act. The company’s “walled garden” is under sustained artillery fire, and fines like this are just the opening salvos. The real question is whether it will force any meaningful change in how Apple operates the App Store, or if they’ll just treat it as the cost of doing business.
