Today, the French regulatory authority imposed a fine of 8 million euros on Apple for violating French privacy regulations with targeted ads in the App Store. According to the National Commission for Informatics and Liberty (CNIL), Apple did not obtain permission from iPhone users in France before using identifiers to display personalized ads as part of the iOS 14.6 update.
By default, Apple was collecting user data without their knowledge and using it for advertising. The French regulator CNIL concluded that users had to perform an overwhelming number of steps to disable advertising in the “Privacy” section of the “Settings” app, thus violating Article 82 of the data protection law. As a result, Apple was fined a hefty total of 8 million euros.
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In an inspection, the CNIL services revealed that in version 14.6 of Apple's iPhone operating system, personal identifiers were automatically collected from every user who had access to the App Store – for purposes such as tailoring the advertisements displayed to them – without prior consent being requested.
Apple has openly expressed its displeasure with the decision and plans to challenge it in court, stressing that it only works with personal data for personalized advertising. Fortune's Patrick McGee reports on Apple's statement on the decision.
We are deeply sorry about this decision, especially since CNIL has praised our efforts to prioritize user privacy when displaying search ads in the App Store. Therefore, we intend to appeal this decision.
Apple Search Ads stands out from all other digital advertising platforms by giving you the freedom to choose whether to personalize your ads. What’s more, Apple Search Ads never takes control of your data and doesn’t track you across third-party websites – it uses raw information only for the purposes of personalized advertising. We believe that privacy is an inherent human right, and everyone should have the ability to decide what information they share with whom.
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Following a complaint from the France Digitale, the CNIL conducted a thorough audit in 2021 that led to today's fine. France Digitale, a lobby group representing startups and venture capital, said the iOS 14 update did not comply with European data protection laws. Apple has since changed how targeted advertising works and its opt-in and opt-out processes.
Source of information: macrumors.com
