Apple was fined €8 million ($8.49 million) in France for failing to comply with user consent.
On Wednesday, French privacy watchdog CNIL imposed fines related to personalized ads on the iPhone maker’s App Store.
CNIL said in a statement that “the ad targeting settings available through the ‘Settings’ icon on the iPhone were pre-checked by default,” although that was not strictly necessary for the functionality of the device. bottom.
It added that the incident, which dates back to 2021, involved an outdated version of the phone’s iOS operating software.
The lobbying group that filed the lawsuit claims that Apple under iOS 14 was sufficiently clear to give iPhone users prior consent to allow installed mobile apps to collect key identifiers used for targeted advertising. It claimed that it could not be asked for.
After the announcement, Apple said it was “disappointed with this decision” and would appeal.
The decision is a blow to iPhone makers, who have focused on privacy as a selling point for their devices.
Last year, the developer accused the company of tracking every tap made on the App Store.
They claimed that data was shared with Apple even when users turned off options for sharing analytics and personalized recommendations.
