Apple Files Appeal Amidst UK Watchdog Privacy Concern

Andi C., Tech Times 22 January 2023, 11:01 am

Apple attempts to refute the UK's concerns over its App Tracking Transparency feature.

In case you missed it, Tech Times reported that Apple is accused of gathering user data even when App Tracking Transparency was disabled, according to the class-action lawsuit.

Attorneys for Apple claimed that the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) should have its investigation reviewed and dismissed because the agency had violated timing constraints in a notice submitted to the Competition Appeal Tribunal earlier this week.

However, Apple appears to believe that this deadline cannot be met, giving a reason for the inquiry to be completely reevaluated. The investigation is expected to be finished within 18 months.

Apple's Appeal Amidst 'App Tracking Transparency' Concern

According to Computer World, the legal team for the iPhone manufacturer claims that the inquiry has to be revisited because it was launched too soon. After then, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) will keep investigating the situation and justify its choice.

The CMA contends that the probe intends to increase developer opportunities while giving UK consumers more options. It also mentions that Apple or Google's browser engines power 97% of all mobile web browsing in the UK.

Evidently, research has been done showing that disabling App Tracking Transparency had no effect on the analytics data from Apple apps, including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV, and others.

In its response to the appeal, the CMA reaffirmed its commitment to defending its position and carrying out its inquiry in accordance with the statutory timeline.

"We opened this investigation to make sure that UK consumers get a better choice of mobile web services and that UK developers can invest in innovative mobile content and services." According to a statement from the CMA.

Apple's appeal of the probe might or might not be successful, but given the makeup of UK legislation, it makes sense that the investigation could be dragged down. The CMA wants to wrap up its inquiry by early summer 2024, if not earlier.

UK Data Privacy Lawsuit Against Apple

According to Mac Rumors, the CMA started investigating Apple and Google's limitations on mobile browsers and cloud gaming in November. The CMA has spent nearly a year investigating Apple and Google's "effective duopoly" that enables the businesses to "exercise a stranglehold over these industries."

With the release of iOS 14.5, app tracking transparency was first implemented in April 2021. In essence, it enables a user to ask an app to stop tracking their online and mobile behavior. Apps used to do that, so they could show you targeted adverts based on the items you were searching for or interested in.

Although Apple claims the data cannot be used to identify a user personally, it is claimed that the acquired data is delivered with a permanent ID number connected to iCloud accounts. The amount of data gathered was comparable to that used by businesses like Meta to get around App Tracking Transparency.