Apple has been fined €150 million ($162.4 million) by France’s antitrust authority for abusing its dominant position in mobile app advertising through its App Tracking Transparency (ATT) tool.

The ruling, announced Monday, marks the first time any competition regulator has penalized Apple over ATT, which lets iPhone and iPad users control which apps can track their activity. The French Competition Authority said Apple unfairly applied the tool between 2021 and 2023, disproportionately harming smaller publishers and advertisers.

“While the objective pursued by ATT is not in itself open to criticism, the way it is implemented is neither necessary nor proportionate to Apple’s stated objective of protecting personal data,” the regulator said.

Digital advertisers, mobile gaming companies, and online publishers had argued that ATT made it harder and more costly for brands to reach users on Apple platforms. The complainants included Alliance Digitale, SRI, Udecam and the Groupement des Éditeurs de Services en Ligne.

Apple responded to the ruling by saying it was “disappointed” with the decision but noted that no changes to ATT were mandated. “ATT gives users a clear choice about whether or not they want to be tracked by apps,” the company said in a statement.

The fine follows a separate €1.8 billion penalty Apple received from the European Union in 2023 for stifling competition in music streaming on its App Store.