U.S. mulling antitrust probes into Silicon Valley's big four
- 5 years ago
WASHINGTON — The U.S. government is considering investigations into whether Silicon Valley's big four tech giants are misusing their market power, Reuters reports.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice will divide oversight of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. The FTC will take Amazon and Facebook, while the Justice Department will watch Google and Apple. According to Reuters, the next step for the two government agencies is to decide if they should begin formal investigations.
Separately, CNET reports Congress is launching its own antitrust investigation into competition in the digital marketplace.
The probe, led by Democratic representative and House Antitrust Subcommittee chairman David N. Cicilline, will, among other things, explore "whether the dominant firms are engaging in anti-competitive conduct," according to a news release on the Congressman's website. The House probe will also determine if current antitrust legislation and enforcement is sufficient, CNET reports.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice will divide oversight of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. The FTC will take Amazon and Facebook, while the Justice Department will watch Google and Apple. According to Reuters, the next step for the two government agencies is to decide if they should begin formal investigations.
Separately, CNET reports Congress is launching its own antitrust investigation into competition in the digital marketplace.
The probe, led by Democratic representative and House Antitrust Subcommittee chairman David N. Cicilline, will, among other things, explore "whether the dominant firms are engaging in anti-competitive conduct," according to a news release on the Congressman's website. The House probe will also determine if current antitrust legislation and enforcement is sufficient, CNET reports.