Advertisers and major online platforms such as Facebook have voiced their objections to Apple’s in-app tracking policies. Now the Cupertino-based company has faced antitrust investigations on the matter in two European countries. The French competition authority found the facts of Apple’s anti-competitive behavior regarding tracking in applications, similar conclusions were made in Germany.

Previously, Apple allowed apps to freely use anonymous tracking identifiers to link ads to site visits. This allowed developers to sell personalized ads in their apps, which is more profitable than regular ads. That changed with Apple’s new tracking policy. App developers are now required to ask the user for tracking permission. Of course, most people answer in the negative.

Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, was particularly upset by Apple’s new policy. He predicted that the policy change would cost him billions of dollars a year. In particular, Zuckerberg objected to the fact that Apple’s own apps should not require permission to track – this allows the iPhone maker to collect data that is not available to third-party developers.

Germany’s antitrust regulator ruled last week that such behavior makes Apple a legitimate target for special measures against the abuse of a dominant market position. German authorities are investigating suspicions that the new rules could help Apple’s own offerings and/or hinder other companies.

The French antitrust authority is likely to open an antitrust investigation against Apple over the same issue related to Apple’s App Tracking Transparency changes in 2021. The regulator is preparing to issue an official “Statement of Objections” next week – this step means identifying violations at the stage of preliminary investigation of the situation. The complaint that prompted the investigation was filed by four French advertising trade groups.

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Source: 9to5mac