DoJ opens antitrust probe into tech platforms
The US Department of Justice’s (DoJ) antitrust division has opened an investigation into the potentially anticompetitive practices of market-leading online platforms.
In a press release, issued yesterday, July 23, the DoJ said it was investigating whether online platforms had engaged in “practices that have reduced competition, stifled innovation, or otherwise harmed consumers”.
While the DoJ did not name any companies that would be investigated, it said its review would address the “widespread concerns” around search engine, online retail, and social media providers.
Assistant attorney general Makan Delrahim, of the DoJ’s antitrust division, said that “without the discipline of meaningful market-based competition, digital platforms may act in ways that are not responsive to consumer demands”.
The DoJ said it would seek information from members of the public as well as industry experts who may have “direct insight into competition in online platforms”.
Reuters reported in June that the DoJ was preparing an antitrust probe into Google’s market power and its compliance with competition law.
The US Federal Trade Commission agreed to the DoJ assuming responsibility for investigating Google, the report claimed.
The European Commission fined Google €1.49 billion ($1.66 bn) for breaching EU antitrust laws in March this year.
The Commission’s fine related to Google’s use of its AdSense for Search feature.
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