Apple在英国因App Tracking Transparency面临约20亿英镑开发者集体诉讼

Apple ( AAPL ) is facing a £2B (~$2.7B) lawsuit in the UK over its app tracking practices, with lawyers for app developers alleging that the company used its position as a gatekeeper to give its own advertising business an advantage, Reuters reported. The claim was filed Thursday at London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal on Apple’s ( AAPL ) App Tracking Transparency feature, launched in 2021. The feature requires users to give permission before apps can track their activity across other companies’ apps and websites. Ann Pope, a former senior official at Britain's Competition and Markets Authority who is leading the case, said Apple's ( AAPL ) 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 according to the report. Apple ( AAPL ) said the feature gives users control over whether apps can track their activity across other companies’ apps and websites. Lawyers for the plaintiffs, however, allege that it imposes stricter requirements on third-party developers than on its own services, giving its advertising business a competitive advantage. Apple ( AAPL ) did not immediately respond to Seeking Alpha's request for comment. The lawsuit adds to regulatory scrutiny of Apple’s ( AAPL ) tracking practices across Europe. Germany recently secured changes to the company's rules for targeted advertising, while regulators in France, Italy and Poland have also examined its App Tracking Transparency framework.