Apple targeted by privacy campaigner who took on Facebook

Apple Inc.’s ad tracking is the target of two complaints to Spanish and German authorities by a privacy advocate whose earlier legal battles are forcing Facebook Inc. to change the way it transfers data.

A group called NOYB filed complaints with the Spanish and Berlin data protection authorities, calling for them to outlaw Apple’s so-called identification for advertisers, or IDFA service, according to an emailed statement Monday. The group argues that the service allows Apple and various apps to track users and combine information on their web use without the users’ consent.

“With our complaints we want to enforce a simple principle: trackers are illegal, unless a user freely consents,” NOYB lawyer Stefano Rossetti said in the statement. “Smartphones are the most intimate device for most people and they must be tracker-free by default.”