US anti-trust regulators look at Apple iAds

Apple may face an anti-trust investigation over its iAds service

Apple's new restrictions on advertisers accessing its iAds platform is reportedly under scrutiny by US anti-trust regulators.

A report in the Financial Times claims that Apple's decision to bar applications from displaying ads served by an advertising network which is affiliated with a competing mobile developer, or not primarily in the advertising business, is in violation of US anti-trust laws.

The report did not specify which government organisation will be responsible for an investigation should one be launched.

Apple rolled out the new policy on Monday along with plans for expanding iAds. The platform allows developers to embed advertisements within applications as an additional source of revenue.

The new policies have already come under fire from major ad networks such as AdMob, which would be ineligible to serve advertisements on Apple's iOS owing to its ties with Google.

AdMob chief executive Omar Hamoui said that Apple's move will harm competition in the market and punish thousands of developers who currently rely on the platform for revenue.