Apple Threatened with Giant Fine in Germany, Media Publishers Reject New App Tracking Rules

Bernd Nauen, chief executive of the German Advertising Federation (photo: x @Markenartikler)

JAKARTA - A number of publishing and advertising industry associations in Germany have rejected the latest changes proposed by technology giant Apple regarding app tracking rules. They even urged the German competition authority to impose an antitrust fine against the US company.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, March 10, groups representing media publishers, advertising agencies, and the branded goods industry said Apple's proposed changes did not address competition in the digital advertising market.

This controversy relates to the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, a system that allows users to block apps from tracking their activity across other apps. Apple says the feature is designed to give users more control over their data privacy.

But the move has triggered criticism from a variety of parties, including social media company Meta Platforms, app developers, media publishers, and advertising companies whose business models rely on tracking user data for digital advertising.

This dispute prompted the German competition authority, the Bundeskartellamt, in February 2025 to accuse Apple of abusing its market power in the mobile advertising sector.

In response to the regulator's concerns, Apple in December 2025 proposed a number of changes to the ATT system. Among them are presenting more neutral consent prompts between Apple-owned services and third-party applications, as well as aligning the language, message content, and visual design of the notifications.

The company is also offering a simplification of the approval process so that developers can ask users for permission to process data related to advertising in a way that complies with data protection laws.

However, industry associations assess that this step is not enough to overcome the main problem.

"The proposed commitment will not change the negative impact of the App Tracking Transparency framework," Bernd Nauen, chief executive of the German Advertising Federation, said in a joint letter signed by various industry organizations.

According to Nauen, Apple will still hold full control over access to data that is important for the digital advertising industry.

"Apple will remain the gatekeeper of data and continue to determine who gets access to relevant data for advertising and how companies can communicate with their customers," he said.

The industry group urged the Bundeskartellamt to reject Apple's proposal, stop using the ATT system, and impose financial sanctions on the company.

If proven to have violated competition rules in Germany, companies can be fined up to 10 percent of their total global annual revenue.

The feud reflects a classic conflict in the digital economy: between protecting user privacy and data-driven business models. Apple positions itself as a guardian of privacy, while the advertising industry sees the company as a gatekeeper that controls the flow of data.