Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google could be forced to overhaul their business practices under a new expansive set of antitrust reforms introduced by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers on Friday. The package of five bills, earlier reported by CNBC and other outlets, would make it harder for dominant platforms to complete mergers and prohibit them from owning businesses that present clear conflicts of interest. The legislation represents the most comprehensive effort to reform century-old… Source link
Read More »Google, Amazon Spent Millions Lobbying Amid Bipartisan Scrutiny
Technology giants, including Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Amazon.com Inc., spent millions on lobbying in the first quarter of 2021 as they face heightened scrutiny from Democrats and Republicans over alleged anticompetitive practices. Google spent $2.7 million on federal lobbying in the three months ending March 31, according to disclosures filed with Congress. That’s a 49% increase from the same period a year earlier, and comes as the company has been steadily increasing its Washington… Source link
Read More »Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) Face Bipartisan Antitrust Grilling Over App Stores
Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google will come under close antitrust scrutiny Wednesday from lawmakers concerned about the way both companies run the marketplaces that give consumers around the world access to millions of apps on handheld devices. Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Mike Lee of Utah, the chair and ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee, are leading the panel’s inquiry into potential anticompetitive practices in Apple’s App Store… Source link
Read More »Google revelations trigger swift bipartisan call for action
Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Congress needs to bolster the FTC, which “needs to be given adequate resources to go toe-to-toe with such a deep-pocketed industry.” “Enforcers need both the will and the tools to take on Big Tech,” the Connecticut lawmaker, who sits on the Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee, said in a statement. “If the FTC isn’t willing to bring cases against Big Tech, we need reforms that make sure that consumers, workers, and small businesses… Source link
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