Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is facing a £2 billion ($2.7 billion) lawsuit in London brought on behalf of app developers over its App Tracking Transparency rules, with the claim alleging that the company imposed stricter requirements on third-party developers than on its own services.
The lawsuit was filed at London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal on Thursday and follows regulatory scrutiny in Europe of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency feature, which was introduced in 2021.
Apple has previously said the feature was designed to give users control over whether apps can track their activity across other companies’ apps and websites.
Lawyers bringing the UK claim allege that the rules applied to third-party app developers were more restrictive than those governing Apple’s own services, providing Apple’s advertising operations with a competitive advantage.
Former CMA Official Leads UK Claim
Ann Pope, a former senior official at Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority who is leading the lawsuit, said Apple’s policy “resulted in very significant harm to businesses that depend on Apple as a gatekeeper”.
“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,” Pope said in a statement.
Apple did not immediately comment on the new lawsuit. The company has previously said its App Tracking Transparency framework provides “important privacy protections”.
Apple Tracking Rules Have Faced European Regulatory Scrutiny
Apple’s App Tracking Transparency framework has also been examined by regulators elsewhere in Europe.
In Germany, Apple last month agreed to changes concerning the rules governing how app developers can use personal data for targeted advertising.
The German competition authority had accused Apple of abusing its market power. Meta, publishers, advertisers and app developers whose business models rely on advertising tracking had also criticised the framework.
Regulators in France, Italy and Poland have also investigated Apple’s App Tracking Transparency rules.
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