The iPhone maker is also under the EU regulator’s lens. Credit: Bagus Hernawan on Unsplash.

Italy’s competition watchdog, AGCM, has launched an investigation into Apple over its alleged abuse of its leading position in the iOS app market.

The competition and marker authority has said that the US-based company has allegedly imposed a more stringent privacy policy for third-party app developers, than the one it applies on itself.

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It is investigating Apple, Apple Distribution International, and Apple Italia.

With the said policy, which has been in place since April 2021, users of third-party apps receive more noticeable prompts requesting permission for data tracking from third-party developers, while Apple’s products do not receive the same treatment.

In addition, the prompts on third-party apps are more strongly worded than those on Apple’s apps, discouraging users from opting into tracking.

Furthermore, third-party developers and advertisers appear to be at a disadvantage in terms of the quality and comprehensiveness of data that Apple provides them, it added.

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The watchdog claims that Apple’s alleged discrimination could lead to a decrease in third-party advertising revenue, hinder competition and benefit Apple by driving away the competition.

Italy’s probe into Apple comes after European Union (EU) antitrust regulators sought more detail on Apple’s mobile payment system amid an ongoing probe, reported Reuters, earlier this week.

Last year, the EU antitrust regulator accused Apple of limiting competitors’ use of its Near-Field Communication (NFC) tap-and-go technology for mobile wallets, making it challenging for them to create competing services on Apple devices.

An Apple Italy representative was not immediately available to comment on the latest development, the news agency said.