Antitrust Probe into
Big Tech Is Launched
by Justice Department While no company was named specifically
by the DOJ, the review will "consider the
widespread concerns ... about search,
social media, and some retail services online." According to the department, "without the
discipline of meaningful market-based competition,
digital platforms may act in ways that are not
responsive to consumer demands." Similar antitrust probes have
been launched against Amazon
in several European countries. The E.U. has fined Google
several billion dollars over
monopoly law violations. In the U.S., brick-and-mortar stores
have been asking for such a probe for
years, contending that Amazon and Google
dominate through anti-competitive prices. Democratic presidential candidate
Elizabeth Warren has issued a call
to use the exiting antitrust law to
dismantle Facebook, Google and Amazon. The House Antitrust Subcommittee
is also conducting a bipartisan investigation
into "competition in digital markets."