In a win for Apple and privacy advocates, the French Competition Authority has upheld Apple’s right to proceed with its iOS privacy changes.
Apple has been warning developers since last year of upcoming privacy changes to iOS that would prevent apps from tracking users without their permission. Apps are also required to include a privacy label that outlines exactly what data they collect.
Needless to say, the advertising industry has been up in arms over the changes, clinging to the archaic belief they should have the right to collect detailed, personal data and track users across services and devices, without their knowledge or consent. As a result, the advertising industry is trying fighting on multiple fronts to force Apple to back down.
According to Fortune, the French Competition Authority said Apple’s plans did not appear to be abusive, since “a company, even if it is in a dominant position…has the freedom in principle to set rules to access its services, subject to not disregarding the laws and applicable regulations and that these rules are not anticompetitive.”
The Competition Authority said it would continue to investigate to make sure Apple is playing by its own rules, and not gathering and tracking more data than it allows third-party developers to track.
“We’re grateful to the French Competition Authority for recognizing that App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14 is in the best interest of French iOS users,” Apple said in a statement.