A French court has ruled in favor of Apple, allowing its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature to remain active in France. The decision ends a legal push by advertising groups that wanted the tool weakened or removed after earlier antitrust scrutiny.
The ruling follows a complaint from a coalition of French advertising organizations. They argued that ATT unfairly harmed their business by limiting user data access. However, the court rejected those claims and sided with Apple’s privacy-first approach.
What App Tracking Transparency Does
Apple introduced App Tracking Transparency in 2021. The feature asks users if they want apps to track their activity across other apps and websites. Most users choose not to allow tracking. As a result, advertisers receive less data for targeted ads.
Advertising groups claimed the feature caused a sharp drop in ad performance. Some groups said it reduced targeting effectiveness by nearly 50 percent. Still, the court found no evidence that Apple used ATT to gain an unfair competitive advantage.
Why Advertisers Challenged the Feature
In 2023, French regulators fined Apple over competition concerns linked to ATT’s rollout. Encouraged by that fine, advertisers pushed for additional penalties. They wanted Apple forced to change how ATT works.
This time, the court drew a clear line. It ruled that giving users a choice about tracking does not break competition law. The judges also noted that Apple does not rely on advertising data for its core business, unlike many digital platforms.
Apple Welcomes the Decision
Apple welcomed the ruling and defended ATT as a widely supported privacy tool. The company said users and data protection authorities have praised the feature. Apple added that it plans to continue supporting strong privacy protections worldwide.
Meanwhile, the court noted that companies can still advertise. They simply must do so without invasive tracking unless users agree.
What Happens Next
It remains unclear whether the advertising coalition will appeal. For now, the decision strengthens Apple’s position in Europe. More importantly, it reinforces a growing legal trend that favors user privacy over aggressive data collection.
