(Updates with Apple's response in the fifth and sixth paragraphs.)
Apple's (AAPL) proposed rules regarding its app tracking transparency framework have been rejected by organizations under the German media and advertising industry, the associations of the German media and advertising industry said Tuesday.
The iPhone maker's proposals are "not suitable" to resolve the competition concerns in the mobile advertising industry identified by competition authorities, the associations said in a press release.
The associations urged Germany's Federal Cartel Office to reject Apple's commitments and end the antitrust infringement with a prohibition order. Apple must be fined so that it does not carry out the "contested conduct" again, they said.
In February 2025, the German Federal Cartel Office informed Apple that its app tracking transparency framework breached European and German competition law. The tech giant submitted proposals to resolve the concerns, which were put to test in December.
An Apple spokesperson told MT Newswires in an email Tuesday that the iPhone maker launched App Tracking Transparency to provide users a "simple way to control whether apps have permission to track their activity" throughout other companies' apps and websites.
"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," the spokesperson said. "We will continue to defend this important privacy tool for our users."
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