Apple and Google were both fined 10 million Euros ($11 million) today by Italy’s Competition Authority for allegedly using user data for commercial purposes without their consent – a violation of Italy’s Consumer Code.
The authority claims that Apple directly exploits the economic value of user data it collects to “increase the sale of its products and/or those of third parties through its commercial platforms (App Store, iTunes Store, and Apple Books).”
Also claimed was that neither Apple nor Google provide users with proper information about their data being used for commercial purposes. The read of the fine even claims that Apple does not provide a way to opt-out of the use of their data (via MacRumors).
The readout of the fine adds that Apple only tells its users that data would be used to improve their experiences, not that it will be used commercially. This is true in the sense that a prompt is shown when using the App Store saying that Apple may use some of the user data to “enable features, secure our services, or personalize your experience.”
But while the authority has correctly outlined Apple’s lack of acknowledgment for data being used for commercial purposes, it fails to provide proper examples of Apple partaking in such activities.
Apple’s privacy policy states that the company will only use personal data to power its services, comply with local laws, prevent fraud, and for communication objectives. Personal data may only be for other purposes with user consent.
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