Apple is under investigation in Brazil following a complaint from Meta regarding the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature. Brazil’s antitrust regulator, Cade, is examining whether Apple unfairly favors its own apps in data collection practices.
Meta’s complaint alleges that Apple’s own apps are exempt from the requirement to seek user permission for data tracking, a rule enforced on third-party apps through the ATT feature on iOS. According to the Brazilian newspaper O Globo, Cade initiated the investigation on Thursday following Meta’s formal complaint.
Cade stated that “there is evidence” suggesting Apple “collects and processes information from its users under more favorable conditions than those offered to third parties.”
Introduced in 2021, the ATT feature requires third-party apps to display a prompt, asking iOS users for permission to track their activity across other apps and websites. The majority of users choose to opt out of tracking.
Meta, whose revenue heavily relies on online advertising, has been significantly impacted by ATT. The feature limits the availability of user data crucial for fingerprinting, a process that creates user profiles based on online activities. These profiles are then sold to advertisers for targeted advertising.
Since its release, Meta has repeatedly criticized Apple’s ATT policy, labeling it a “harmful policy.”
Currently, Apple won’t face an immediate trial as Cade continues to evaluate the terms and conditions of ATT for third-party apps. If ATT’s terms are deemed unfair, Apple could face future penalties in Brazil. France recently fined Apple $132 million for similar reasons.
