Watchdog ponders why Apple doesn't apply its strict app tracking rules to itself

Germany’s Federal Cartel Office issued preliminary findings that Apple’s App Tracking Transparency imposes stricter consent requirements on third-party developers than Apple applies to itself, enabling Apple to combine user data across its ecosystem for advertising; the regulator cites more permissive consent dialogs for Apple apps and multiple prompts for third-party apps, raising concerns of unequal treatment and self-preferencing under competition law, while Apple’s appeal of its “cross-market significance” designation awaits a March 18 ruling.