German Ad Groups Say Changes to Apple's App-Tracking Tool Aren't Enough

By Edith Hancock

German advertising and media groups called on the country's competition watchdog to take further action on changes Apple offered to make to its app-tracking transparency feature.

The trade associations--which include The Media Agencies Association and the German Advertising Federation--said Tuesday that the system makes Apple a data gatekeeper and lets it decide who has access to advertising data and how companies can communicate with users. The tech company's proposed changes don't address the watchdog's initial concerns and wouldn't change the negative effects of the App Tracking Transparency Framework, they added.

"To safeguard data-driven competition, a sufficiently deterrent fine must also ensure that Apple does not repeat the contested conduct," the groups said in a letter.

It comes after Germany's Federal Cartel Office in December started examining changes Apple made to its App Tracking Transparency Framework, which Apple said lets users choose whether apps can track their activity across other apps and websites for advertising.

The regulator told Apple in February last year that it was concerned that the wording and design of its transparency tools made it more likely that users would consent to Apple's access requests over those from competitors. Apple then offered to change the text and formatting of its tools last year to ease the watchdog's concerns. It said it is bound by the same requirements as all developers under its framework and doesn't show the App Tracking Transparency prompt for third parties because it doesn't track users across other companies' apps and websites.

The German competition watchdog said it is currently evaluating feedback from the companies, associations, and data-protection authorities it surveyed as part of its market test.

Apple said German data-protection authorities have deemed the tool consistent with data-protection law.

"The tracking industry has consistently fought our efforts to keep users in control of their data, and this is just their latest attempt to gain unfettered access to personal information," an Apple spokesperson said Tuesday. "We will continue to defend this important privacy tool for our users."

Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 10, 2026 08:40 ET (12:40 GMT)