Apple is facing yet another antitrust headache in Europe, this time in Poland, where regulators say the company may be playing by a different set of rules than everyone else. Polish competition authorities have opened a formal investigation into whether Apple is effectively bypassing its own App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework to serve personalized ads across Apple-run platforms such as the App Store, potentially using tracking-related data without getting user permission.
The investigation comes from Poland’s antitrust and consumer protection office, UOKiK, which is examining claims that Apple applies ATT requirements to third-party apps but does not follow the same consent process for its own services. ATT is Apple’s privacy tool that lets users decide whether an app can track them across other companies’ apps and websites. In practice, it relies on a device-level identifier that is designed to be anonymized and stripped of direct personal details. App developers are expected to request permission before accessing that identifier for tracking.
Polish regulators argue the key issue is consistency. If Apple’s own apps and ad systems aren’t subject to ATT in the same way third-party apps are, the company could theoretically use device identifiers or related signals to personalize advertising on its platforms without presenting the same consent prompt users see elsewhere. According to UOKiK’s president, Tomasz Chrostny, that kind of arrangement could strengthen Apple’s competitive position, potentially giving it an edge over independent publishers and advertisers who must follow stricter tracking rules.
Apple disputes the accusation and has pushed back strongly, suggesting the broader data-tracking ecosystem is driving the latest wave of scrutiny. The company has also warned that ongoing pressure in the European Union could lead to a dramatic outcome: Apple might be forced to remove ATT entirely in the EU, a move it says would harm privacy-focused users. Apple has previously stated that it does not misuse the device identifier to deliver personalized ads across its own properties, but Polish authorities appear unconvinced and want to verify how Apple’s advertising and tracking practices work in reality.
Poland isn’t the only country taking a closer look. Regulators in Germany, Italy, and Romania have also launched their own probes into Apple’s handling of app tracking data and how that intersects with advertising, competition, and consumer choice. Together, these cases add to a growing pattern of European scrutiny aimed at how major platforms can influence markets while also controlling the rules developers and advertisers must follow.
This all unfolds as Apple faces heightened obligations under the EU’s Digital Markets Act, where it has been labeled a “gatekeeper,” a term used for companies considered powerful enough to shape markets and restrict competition. Among the consequences, Apple has had to make major changes in the EU, including allowing alternative app stores on its devices and adjusting certain developer terms so some participants can pay a lower percentage of app-related revenue to Apple.
For Apple users and app developers alike, the Polish investigation could become another important test of how privacy frameworks like ATT should apply when the platform owner is also a major advertising player. The central question regulators appear to be asking is simple: are the rules truly the same for everyone, or does Apple get an exception on its own turf?
