The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has confirmed that it has opened an investigation against technology giants to analyze whether there is unfair competition in the business segments. Among the sectors found are retail, online search, and social networking.
US targets are Amazon, Alphabet – the owner of Google -, Facebook and Apple. In a press release, DoJ said it will check whether companies have reached the top through practices that discourage competition or even harm their users.
The antitrust division is responsible for seeking information about how online competition works. In addition, after the release of the note, the three companies closed the trading session with a drop of approximately 1% each.
According to DoJ’s assistant attorney general Makan Delrahim, practices that undermine competition are due to lack of discipline in enforcement.
“Without discipline, digital platforms can act in ways that are not responsive to consumer demands.”
Makan Delrahim
Assistant Attorney General of DoJ Antitrust Division
If the US agency finds evidence of anti-competitive practices, US companies may face some kind of penalty.
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Remember that Cupertino giant Apple has also recently been charged with unfair competition. The case occurred in parental control applications.
Source: www.wsj.com
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