PARIS – The CNIL, the French data protection authority, has fined Apple 8 million euros for breach of privacy.
The regulator estimated that the US tech giant had not “obtained the consent of French iPhone users (version iOS 14.6) before depositing and/or writing identifiers on their terminals for advertising purposes,” according to a statement released Wednesday.
The case stems from a complaint filed in March 2021 by startup lobby France Digitale, which alleged Apple’s failure to comply with data protection rules. POLITICO first signaled the CNIL’s concerns about Apple’s privacy last year.
Apple has presented itself as a champion of privacy. Last year it introduced App Tracking Transparency, a feature that asks users for permission to be tracked online by third parties for targeted advertising purposes.
The select committee of the CNIL, a group of six people who decide on privacy sanctions, decided to go beyond the recommendations of the regulator’s rapporteur, who called for a fine of 6 million euros in mid-December. euros.
However, on iOS 15, Apple collects consent as required by law, the reporter said at the time.
A spokesperson for the technology company said in a statement that Apple was “disappointed” and would appeal the decision.
“Apple Search Ads goes beyond any other digital advertising platform we know of by giving users a clear choice of whether or not they want personalized ads. In addition, Apple Search Ads never track users. through [third-party] apps and websites, and uses only first-hand data to personalize ads,” the statement continued.
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