Apple hit with £2 billion UK lawsuit over alleged unfair app tracking rules
Apple is being sued in London for £2 billion, with developers claiming its App Tracking Transparency feature unfairly restricts third-party apps.
On Sept 3, app developers lodged a £2 billion (about $3.4 billion) lawsuit against Apple before London’s Competition Appeal Tribunal, accusing the company of abusing its market power through the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) system launched in 2021. Plaintiffs contend that ATT imposes stricter consent requirements on third-party apps than on Apple’s own services, effectively boosting Apple’s advertising ecosystem. The case is headed by Ann Pope, a former senior official of Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority, who says the rule has caused very significant harm to firms dependent on Apple’s platform.
Apple maintains that ATT provides essential privacy protections but has not responded to comment requests. This filing adds to a wave of regulatory scrutiny in Europe, where authorities in Germany, France, Italy and Poland have examined the same feature, and Apple recently agreed to modify its rules in Germany after accusations of market abuse.
Why it matters
The lawsuit could reshape how major tech platforms control user data and impact advertising revenues for countless developers.
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