France Eyeing Antitrust Action Against Apple

The French Competition Authority is likely to move forward soon with an antitrust investigation into Apple over complaints tied to 2021 changes to its app tracking policies, Axios reported, citing sources. From the report: A formal investigation would mark the first major government move taken globally against Apple related to privacy rule changes that upended the digital advertising world. French regulators are favoring issuing a formal "Statement of Objections" to parties involved in the matter in coming weeks, sources told Axios.

That step would signal to groups that issued initial complaints about Apple's actions and Apple that the authority found evidence of illegal anticompetitive behavior in its initial review of the complaints it received. The 2020 complaint argues that Apple's app tracking changes did not adequately adhere to European Union privacy rules and that Apple failed to hold itself to the same ad targeting standards that it forced on its competitors because it targeted iOS users with ads from app tracking data. The complaint was filed jointly by four French advertising trade groups -- IAB France, Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), SRI and UDECAM.

Another antitrust suit...

[registrations_suck]

They don't have anything better to do.

Re:

[Darren Hiebert]

Let's just say what everyone knows: France produces nothing of value to anyone outside of their own country and they spend a great deal of effort obstructing anyone who does.

Sounds good

[ranton]

Apple failed to hold itself to the same ad targeting standards that it forced on its competitors because it targeted iOS users with ads from app tracking data

Improving privacy is a good thing, but if Apple is restricting access to data for other companies' apps but not for their own apps, that seems like clear anti-competitive behavior. Even if they aren't directly competing with them yet, it could hurt other companies enough to open the opportunity for Apple to compete in the future. If improving privacy is important enough to implement even if it harms the business model of app vendors, it is important enough for Apple to abide by the same rules.

Apple ads?

[cayenne8]

Ok, I have some apple products...iPhone, iPad..etc.

I don't know that any of my apple devices have served me an ad.

Can someone give me an example of their apple devices serving them an add like the article here alludes to?

Re:

[John Smith 2294]

Open Safari.

Re:

[esme]

Safari doesn't decide which ads to show me based on Apple's access to my personal data. Websites decide which ads to show me, and Safari shows me the web pages.

Re: Apple ads?

[SleepingEye]

You think apps and media are highlighted in their respective apps (music, movies, apps, tv shows) for free?

Re:

[Brett Buck]

OK - now what? Nothing happened, Safari does not serve apple ads aside from whatever is on the source page. I get the same thing regardless of browser.

Re: Apple ads?

[SleepingEye]

Open up any app that you downloaded from the app store that serves ads. Congratulations, you are now the product and the guy who paid a lot not to be the product.

Re:

[cayenne8]

Open up any app that you downloaded from the app store that serves ads.

I guess I don't have any of those....?

Re: Apple ads?

[SleepingEye]

Okay, now prove to me that precisely 0 ads on said web pages are served by the service formerly known as iads

Re:

[Plumpaquatsch]

Okay, now lay open how iAds still exists, without anybody being able to trace it back to Apple.

Re:

[AmiMoJo]

Have a look in Apple News. There are ads for paid iCloud in various places too. The App Store is full of ads. The Apple TV app seems to be built in, that's an ad. Apple Music too.

Re: Apple ads?

[registrations_suck]

Apple doesn't force anything on you. You can buy an apple product, which includes certain apps, or go buy something else, which will undoubtedly include certain OTHER apps.

Re:

[ShanghaiBill]

You can buy an apple product, which includes certain apps

Some apps can't be removed. But they still aren't "forced" on anyone because you can not run them.

Re: Apple ads?

[SleepingEye]

Odd, pro android users have been making the same argument the whole time - you literally can exclude Google out of every aspect of android devices.

Re:

[Plumpaquatsch]

Of course you can do that on Android. You just lose in-time updates.

Re:

[Anubis IV]

Ok, I have some apple products...iPhone, iPad..etc.

I don't know that any of my apple devices have served me an ad.

Can someone give me an example of their apple devices serving them an add like the article here alludes to?

Didn’t RTFA, but the Settings app is rife with ads presented as subscription settings for iCloud, Apple One, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and other paid services that prompt you with upsells if you aren’t logged in/subscribed. New devices come with complimentary notifications for the first few months, reminding you to redeem your free trial for some of those services. New versions of iOS occasionally walk you through new features you can enable, some of which are really just thinly-veiled ads for new

Re:

[teg]

Ok, I have some apple products...iPhone, iPad..etc.

I don't know that any of my apple devices have served me an ad.

Can someone give me an example of their apple devices serving them an add like the article here alludes to?

They have ads in the app store.

Re:

[Plumpaquatsch]

Ahh, so Apple is keeping add networks from tracking you across various apps, so they can sell you more apps on the App Store?

Re: Apple ads?

[Kitkoan]

https://searchads.apple.com/

Side with adverstisers

[manu0601]

Right, Apple is a GAFA, hence likely blamable. But it hurts to side with advertisers.

Re: Side with adverstisers

[SleepingEye]

Why? Big data (fb, Google, apl) never shares their data. That would be stupid to give away their targeting algorithms and therefore source of income. You can also run ad blockers