According to Wccftech, Poland’s anti-monopoly watchdog UOKiK has initiated a formal investigation against Apple for allegedly bypassing its own App Tracking Transparency rules. The authorities contend Apple uses anonymized device identifiers to show personalized ads on platforms like the App Store without seeking user consent. Apple’s ATT framework normally requires third-party developers to obtain permission before tracking user activity using these identifiers. However, the investigation suggests Apple exempts its own apps from these requirements, potentially giving the company a competitive advantage over independent publishers. Apple has responded by blaming the data tracking industry and threatening to remove ATT entirely in the EU, while authorities in Germany, Italy, and Romania have launched separate investigations.
The Privacy Double Standard
Here’s the thing that makes this investigation so compelling: Apple built its entire privacy marketing campaign around ATT being this great equalizer. They positioned themselves as the privacy champions forcing shady data brokers to play by the rules. But if Polish authorities are right, Apple might be playing by a different set of rules entirely. The company claims it doesn’t misuse the anonymized identifier, but the fundamental question remains: why aren’t their own apps subject to the same consent requirements they force on everyone else? It’s starting to look like “do as I say, not as I do” might be the actual policy here.
Competitive Landscape Shift
This investigation isn’t happening in a vacuum. The EU has already designated Apple as a “gatekeeper” under the Digital Markets Act, forcing them to allow third-party app stores and offering developers better revenue terms. Now with multiple countries investigating their advertising practices, Apple’s entire business model in Europe is under pressure. Smaller developers have to jump through ATT hoops while Apple potentially gets to skip the line? That creates exactly the kind of unlevel playing field that antitrust regulators exist to fix. And honestly, if Apple follows through on its threat to remove ATT entirely, they’ll basically be admitting that privacy was only valuable as a competitive weapon against others.
Broader Implications
Look, what’s really fascinating here is how this reflects Apple’s ongoing identity crisis. They want to be both the privacy-focused good guys and an advertising powerhouse. Those two goals are fundamentally at odds. The Polish investigation highlights this tension perfectly. If Apple can’t use tracking data for ads, their advertising business struggles. But if they do use it while telling everyone else they can’t, they look hypocritical. Meanwhile, for companies in completely different technology sectors – like industrial panel PC manufacturers who focus on reliable hardware rather than data-driven advertising – these privacy battles might seem like a distant concern. But the outcome could reshape how all tech companies approach user data across the board.
