Buddhist Startup Alliance "Apple Collects Personal Data Without Consent for Targeted Advertising"

France Digitail collects personal data without user consent on Apple iOS
Reported to French Data Protection Authority

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Apple, which is under antitrust investigation in Europe, has been reported to the French data protection authority for unauthorized collection of user personal information and use of targeted advertising (advertising aimed at specific users).

According to foreign media reports such as CNBC and Le Monde on the 9th (local time), France Digitale, an alliance of about 2,000 French startup companies, filed a complaint with the French data protection authority (CNIL), claiming that Apple's iOS 14 mobile operating software violated European data protection regulations.

According to France Digitale's claim, Apple collected user data without user consent for use in tracking advertising services without explicit permission requests. They particularly pointed out the existence of personalized advertising options.

Nicolas Brien, CEO of France Digitale, stated, "We consider such actions to be a very serious violation of data protection regulations," and argued that "Apple may be violating the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the ePrivacy Directive." He also pointed out the lack of choice for users as a problem.

Under the current EU data privacy rules, all organizations must obtain consent from online visitors regarding data collection.

Apple immediately refuted the claims in a statement. Apple said, "The complainants' claims are clear falsehoods and a misguided attempt by those tracking users to divert attention from their actions and mislead regulators and policymakers."

Meanwhile, Apple is under antitrust investigation in Europe over its in-app payment fees and iOS app operation policies. The European Commission (EC) has been conducting an antitrust investigation into Apple's App Store rules and Apple Pay mobile wallet since June last year. The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) also recently launched an antitrust investigation.