Penalties for Apple, Google and Amazon
The Italian competition authority fined Apple and Google 10 million euros each for failing to obtain user consent before using the data for commercial purposes, according to AGCM announcements. Companies have been accused of failing to inform users exactly when their data will be used, thus preventing customers from giving their consent.
Google has said it disagrees with the ruling and plans to appeal. "We give people simple controls to manage their information and restrict the use of personal data, and we work hard to fully comply with consumer protection rules," a company spokesman said. Until Apple responded immediately to this penalty. Google plans to file a lawsuit
This is the second time that Apple has been punished by Italian regulatory authorities this week. The fine this time comes after Apple and Amazon were fined a total of over 200 million euros (about 225 million dollars) due to the restriction, that is, the license that allows the sale of Apple and Beats products in Amazon's store in Italy.
The agreement between the two companies from 2018 meant that only certain resellers were allowed to sell products on Amazon.it, regulatory authorities said. He added that this violated EU competition rules. In addition to the fine, both companies will have to lift the restrictions.
According to Reuters, both Apple and Amazon plan to appeal the fines. Apple said that such agreements are in force in order to guarantee that customers buy original products. Amazon called the penalty "disproportionate and unjustified" and added that its contract with Apple benefits Italian customers who can find the latest Apple and Beats products in their stores and benefit from a catalog that has more than doubled, with better deals and faster deliveries. ”
It is unlikely that the fine of 10 million euros will be registered in the balance sheet of Apple or Google. Apple recently reported $ 83.4 billion in revenue last quarter, while Google earned $ 65.1 billion.
