'Apple's privacy regulations are unfair rules that exclude its own company' and German authorities start an investigation

Germany's Federal Cartel Office said on June 14, 2022, ``Apple's privacy provisions only cover third-party apps and not our own, giving us an unfair advantage and being anti-competitive. Yes,' he said, announcing that he had launched an investigation.

Bundeskartellamt - Homepage - Bundeskartellamt reviews Apple's tracking rules for third-party apps
https://www.bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/Meldung/EN/Pressemitteilungen/2022/14_06_2022_Apple.html

Mobile ecosystems market study final report - GOV.UK
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-ecosystems-market-study-final-report

Apple Faces German Antitrust Probe Into App Tracking Transparency - MacRumors
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/14/apple-faces-antitrust-probe-into-att/

The CMA Final Report on the Mobile Ecosystems market study: a repudiation of Apple's narrative over privacy and safety as justifications for the status quo – The Platform Law Blog
https://theplatformlaw.blog/2022/06/14/the-cma-final-report-on-the-mobile-ecosystems-market-study-a-repudiation-of-apples-narrative-over-privacy-and- safety-as-justifications-for-the-status-quo/

App Tracking Transparency (ATT) , which Apple applied from iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, stipulates that the user's permission is required for app advertisements to track users. Do you want to allow your activity to be tracked across websites? ' is also from this ATT. While this enabled users to prevent their information from being used without prior consent, the advertising industry suffered greatly.

It turns out that Apple's enhanced privacy has reduced the revenue of developers and advertisers by 15-20% - GIGAZINE

In response, Germany's Bundeskartellamt said, ``With respect to the technology company Apple, it has initiated a procedure to review its tracking rules and ATT framework under competition law. There is a suspicion of interference by other companies, and we plan to verify this in this procedure,' he announced, revealing that he had begun an investigation into alleged competition law violations against Apple.

What is particularly problematic is that Apple's regulations are binding on other companies that make apps for iPhones and iPads, while Apple itself is said not to follow those regulations.

“We welcome business models that treat data with care and give users choices about how they use it, especially Apple,” said Andreas Mundt, head of the Federal Cartel Office, in a statement. Companies in their own ecosystems, especially those in a position to unilaterally determine the rules of their app stores, should create rules that are pro-competitive, but Apple's rules apply to third parties, but not to Apple itself. It is questionable whether the company is making rules that are pro-competitive, given that the rules do not apply.'

In Europe, the view is spreading that ``Apple's strict privacy regulations may be aimed at the company's dominance in the advertising industry.'' In a report published on June 10, 2022, the UK Competition and Markets Authority said, ``We are concerned that Apple is not subject to the same standards when requesting opt-in from users for personalized advertising. I am doing it, 'he said, expressing concern about Apple's exclusion of its company from ATT.

According to a report by the Financial Times in October 2021, Apple's share of the mobile app market tripled six months after the introduction of ATT.

In-house advertising service is growing rapidly due to Apple's privacy-focused strategy-GIGAZINE

by Niels Epting

Apple, meanwhile, denies that ATT is unfairly profiting at the expense of other companies. In a report commissioned by Apple to conduct the research, the Marketing Department at Columbia University Business School said, ``It is unlikely that Apple has benefited from the launch of the ATT, and claims to the contrary lack supporting evidence. It's just speculation,' he concluded.