Apple faces a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) lawsuit brought by UK app developers who accused the US tech giant of abusing its market power by applying stricter App Tracking Transparency rules to third-party developers than to its own advertising services. According to reports from Investing.com, the claim was filed Thursday at London's Competition Appeal Tribunal by law firm Hausfeld on behalf of ATT Collective Action Limited led by Ann Pope. The legal claim argues that Apple's 'double consent requirement' harms third-party developers whose business models rely on advertising, while Apple's own advertising operation gathers comparable data without the same restrictions. Pope, a former senior official at the UK Competition and Markets Authority, is leading the legal action and stated that 'this action is important to protect the rights of British businesses that depend on Apple, to ensure that the rules that Apple applies are fair, and to compensate the losses that British companies have suffered.'
The ATT feature, introduced by Apple in 2021, requires apps to obtain user consent through a pop-up window before tracking their activity across other apps and websites. As reported by Investing.com, if they decline, the app loses access to information on that user which enables targeted ads. Apple has defended the feature as designed to give users greater control over whether apps can track their activity across other companies' apps and websites. However, lawyers behind the latest case allege that Apple applies stricter requirements to third-party developers than to its own services, giving the company's advertising ecosystem an unfair competitive advantage. Pope described Apple's policy as 'resulting in very significant harm to businesses that depend on Apple as a gatekeeper.'
According to Hausfeld's statement reported by Investing.com, the system left 'UK app developers unable to adapt their business models in time to avoid significant losses.' Ann Pope stated that 'this action is important to protect the rights of British businesses that depend on Apple, to ensure that the rules that Apple applies are fair, and to compensate the losses that British companies have suffered.' The claim argues that ATT changes 'harmed UK developers' ad value and increased user acquisition costs' while Apple's own advertising operation continues to gather comparable data without the same restrictions. German regulators have previously accused Apple of abusing its market position, while Meta, publishers, advertisers and app developers whose business models depend on advertising tracking have also criticised aspects of the system.
Authorities in France, Germany, Italy, Romania and Poland have opened similar probes over ATT, which Apple promotes as a privacy safeguard. As reported by Investing.com, Apple was fined €150 million last year in France and nearly €100 million in Italy in similar cases. The Competition Appeal Tribunal's opt-out collective regime means all affected developers are covered unless they actively opt out. In August, Apple agreed to changes to its app data consent rules following concerns raised by Germany's competition authority over how developers can use personal data for targeted advertising. The German competition authority had accused Apple of abusing its market power, after Meta Platforms Inc plus publishers, advertisers and app developers criticized the tool. The feature has faced regulatory scrutiny in several European countries, with regulators across France, Italy, Poland and elsewhere examining the App Tracking Transparency framework.
