France’s antitrust regulator fines Apple for abusing dominant position in mobile apps distribution
Associated PressMAR 28
French Regulator Fines Apple 150M Euros
Image copyright: Ming Yeung/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
While Apple may claim that ATT is purely a privacy feature meant to protect users, the reality of the matter is that it is just one more way that Apple works to squash its competition with unfair tactics. This feature unfairly penalizes smaller apps and publishers that would be using the user data as a form of revenue and also makes their applications less enjoyable. This fine is a reasonable response to the issue, especially considering just how much money Apple brings in every year.
Narrative B
This fine was unreasonable, and Apple has every reason to be disappointed with the outcome of this case. ATT is a feature that puts the needs of users first and ensures that they have more say in their privacy and how their data is being utilized. The feature has received strong support from consumers, privacy advocates, and data protection authorities around the world, and even France's competition authority, which issued the fine, gave no guidance on changing the feature.