Bills that could force Big Tech breakups unveiled in House
3 years, 6 months ago

Bills that could force Big Tech breakups unveiled in House

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A group of House lawmakers put forward a sweeping legislative package Friday that could curb the market power of Big Tech companies and force Facebook, Google, Amazon or Apple to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. The subcommittee said Amazon and Apple have “significant and durable market power” in the U.S. online retail market, and in mobile operating systems and mobile app stores, respectively. The four companies have rejected lawmakers’ accusations of abusing their dominant market position and have asserted that improper intervention in the market through legislation would hurt small businesses and consumers. A tech industry group, the Computer & Communications Industry Association, said Friday the legislation has the aim “of regulating a selected group of American digital service providers.” “These proposed regulations represent a shift from the market-oriented principles that have characterized U.S. economic policy,” the group said.

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History of this topic

Antitrust crackdown looms over Big Tech: How Apple, Google are likely staring at break-up orders in US and EU
8 months, 4 weeks ago

Antitrust crackdown looms over Big Tech: How Apple, Google are likely staring at break-up orders in US and EU

Live Mint  

Antitrust regulators on both sides of the Atlantic are tightening their grip on Big Tech, raising the spectre of potential break-up orders for industry titans such as Apple and Alphabet's Google, as per a Reuters report. Regulators have accused companies like Apple and Google of erecting insurmountable barriers around their products, creating what is termed as "walled gardens," thus hindering …

U.S. lawmakers introduce bill aimed at Google, Facebook ad clout
1 year, 8 months ago

U.S. lawmakers introduce bill aimed at Google, Facebook ad clout

The Hindu  

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill on Thursday aimed at cutting Google and Facebook's clout in online advertising, an early sign that lawmakers will press on with efforts to rein in Big Tech in the new congress. The bill would prohibit big digital advertising companies, with Google the biggest, from owning more than one part of the …

Big crisis of Big Tech means innovation curve had plateaued
1 year, 11 months ago

Big crisis of Big Tech means innovation curve had plateaued

Live Mint  

Joshua Browder, a 26-year-old UK entrepreneur, recently supercharged his main product in a way that he could hardly have imagined a few years ago. His startup DoNotPay developed a chatbot that could negotiate erroneous or excessive fines and fees on people’s behalf—think unfair parking tickets—by building a database of expertise based on its history of human interactions. GMR Sports in …

With landmark antitrust legislation looming, Big Tech CEOs pay a visit to Congress
2 years, 6 months ago

With landmark antitrust legislation looming, Big Tech CEOs pay a visit to Congress

CNN  

CNN — As Senate lawmakers embark on a final, urgent push to pass landmark antitrust legislation to reshape the tech industry, Big Tech is bringing out its heaviest hitters to influence the members whose votes could decide the bill’s fate. Next week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai will travel to Washington to meet with US lawmakers, two people familiar with the …

Big Tech Anti-Trust Bill Has Votes Needed to Pass, Says US Lawmaker
2 years, 6 months ago

Big Tech Anti-Trust Bill Has Votes Needed to Pass, Says US Lawmaker

News 18  

WASHINGTON: A top Democratic lawmaker on antitrust issues said Tuesday a bill aimed at reining in the market power of Big Tech platforms like Amazon.com and Alphabet's Google had the votes to pass the both chambers of Congress in the next few weeks. On the sidelines of an event to rally support for measures before the Senate and House of …

U.S. bill to rein in Big Tech backed by dozens of small and big companies
2 years, 6 months ago

U.S. bill to rein in Big Tech backed by dozens of small and big companies

The Hindu  

Dozens of companies and business organisations sent a letter to U.S. Congress members on Monday, urging them to support a bill that would rein in the biggest tech companies such as Amazon.com and Alphabet's Google. Senator Amy Klobuchar and lawmakers from both parties said they had the Senate votes needed to pass legislation that would prevent tech platforms, including Apple …

Apple presses U.S. lawmakers on dangers of ‘sideloading’ apps allowed by bill
2 years, 9 months ago

Apple presses U.S. lawmakers on dangers of ‘sideloading’ apps allowed by bill

The Hindu  

Smartphone maker Apple has written to lawmakers to dispute assertions that its concerns about the dangers of sideloading apps into phones were overblown. Congress is currently considering a bill aimed at reining in app stores run by Apple and Alphabet's Google, which would require companies to allow sideloading. In a letter dated Thursday and sent to key members of the …

Big moves in ‘Big Tech’
2 years, 11 months ago

Big moves in ‘Big Tech’

The Hindu  

For the Big Tech companies – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Twitter, 2021 was another eventful year as each one of them navigated through various challenges, while bringing out new products and services for the consumers. Facebook and Apple came under much public outrage with Frances Haugen’s revelations of Facebook’s internal policies and Apple’s new on-device machine learning technology …

U.S. bill would stop Big Tech favouring its own products
3 years, 2 months ago

U.S. bill would stop Big Tech favouring its own products

The Hindu  

About a dozen U.S. senators from both parties on Monday formally introduced a bill that would bar Big Tech platforms, like Amazon and Alphabet's Google, from favoring their products and services. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Chuck Grassley's bill would prohibit platforms from requiring companies operating on their sites to purchase the platform's goods or services and ban them from biasing …

Big Tech to face another bipartisan U.S. antitrust bill
3 years, 2 months ago

Big Tech to face another bipartisan U.S. antitrust bill

The Hindu  

A bipartisan group of lawmakers, headed by Senators Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, and Republican Chuck Grassley, plan to introduce a bill that would bar Big Tech platforms, like Amazon and Alphabet's Google, from favouring their products and services. This bill, which Klobuchar's office said would be introduced early next week, would be a companion to a measure which has passed …

Regulations for big tech firms a global trend
3 years, 2 months ago

Regulations for big tech firms a global trend

China Daily  

JIN DING/CHINA DAILY In the United States, the executive branch, courts and the Congress are moving to restrict the dominance of the US tech giants. Big Tech's market cap over $9 trillion The combined market capitalization of the largest five high-tech giants reflects their dominance. Over the past decade, criticism against Big Tech has intensified, as evidenced by expanded antitrust …

Regulations for big tech firms a global trend
3 years, 2 months ago

Regulations for big tech firms a global trend

China Daily  

JIN DING/CHINA DAILY In the United States, the executive branch, courts and the Congress are moving to restrict the dominance of the US tech giants. Big Tech's market cap over $9 trillion The combined market capitalization of the largest five high-tech giants reflects their dominance. Over the past decade, criticism against Big Tech has intensified, as evidenced by expanded antitrust …

U.S. lawmakers say decision in Apple and Epic fight shows need to update laws
3 years, 3 months ago

U.S. lawmakers say decision in Apple and Epic fight shows need to update laws

The Hindu  

U.S. lawmakers determined to tighten antitrust laws said on Friday that a judge's decision giving only a partial victory to "Fortnite" creator Epic Games in its fight with Apple Inc was further evidence of the need for new laws to limit Big Tech. Senator Amy Klobuchar, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel, said the ruling addressed only some …

U.S. lawmakers introduce bill to rein in Apple, Google app stores
3 years, 4 months ago

U.S. lawmakers introduce bill to rein in Apple, Google app stores

The Hindu  

A bipartisan trio of senators introduced a bill that would rein in app stores of companies they said exert too much market control, including Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google. Democratic Senators Richard Blumenthal and Amy Klobuchar teamed up with Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn to sponsor the bill, which would bar big app stores from requiring app providers to use …

Break them up? 5 ways Congress is trying to rein in Big Tech
3 years, 5 months ago

Break them up? 5 ways Congress is trying to rein in Big Tech

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Groundbreaking legislation is advancing in Congress that would curb the market power of tech giants Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple and could force them to untie their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. The measures seek to rein in the tech giants in five ways: BREAKING THEM UP The legislation would bar the four companies from …

U.S. panel votes yes on 'break 'em up' antitrust bill
3 years, 5 months ago

U.S. panel votes yes on 'break 'em up' antitrust bill

The Hindu  

The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee took up its most aggressive of six antitrust bills Thursday, discussing a measure to require platforms, like Amazon.com Inc, to sell lines of business they run on their platforms if they also compete against them. Representative Pramila Jayapal, a sponsor, argued that previous tough antitrust action, like a 1998 lawsuit against Microsoft Corp, …

House panel pushes legislation targeting Big Tech’s power
3 years, 6 months ago

House panel pushes legislation targeting Big Tech’s power

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — A House panel pushed ahead Wednesday with ambitious legislation that could curb the market power of tech giants Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple and force them to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. Many state attorneys general have pursued antitrust cases against big tech companies, and many states joined with the U.S. Justice Department …

U.S. House panel to vote Wednesday on bills targeting Big Tech
3 years, 6 months ago

U.S. House panel to vote Wednesday on bills targeting Big Tech

The Hindu  

The U.S. House Judiciary Committee will vote on Wednesday on a package of six antitrust bills, including several targeting the market power of Big Tech,the panel said on Thursday. Two of the bills address the issue of giant companies, such as Amazon.com Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google,creating a platform for other businesses and then competing against those same businesses. In …

Biden elevates energetic critic of Big Tech as top regulator
3 years, 6 months ago

Biden elevates energetic critic of Big Tech as top regulator

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday installed an energetic critic of Big Tech as a top federal regulator at a time when the industry is under intense pressure from Congress, regulators and state attorneys general. The selection of legal scholar Lina Khan to head the Federal Trade Commission is seen as signaling a tough stance toward tech giants Facebook, …

Is Big Tech prioritising power over innovation
3 years, 6 months ago

Is Big Tech prioritising power over innovation

The Hindu  

A moment’s gaze at people’s digital lifestyle reveals how their online experience has become a function of roughly a dozen applications that are powered by a few large firms. Taken together, these tech giants have a combined market value of $5 trillion and wield power over almost every single smartphone user’s digital life. Fortnite game maker Epic Games took Apple …

Bills that could force Big Tech breakups unveiled in House
3 years, 6 months ago

Bills that could force Big Tech breakups unveiled in House

The Hindu  

A group of House lawmakers has put forward a sweeping legislative package that could curb the market power of Big Tech companies and force Facebook, Google, Amazon or Apple to sever their dominant platforms from their other lines of business. It concluded that the four tech giants have abused their market power by charging excessive fees, imposing tough contract terms …

U.S. House lawmakers introduce bipartisan bills to target Big Tech
3 years, 6 months ago

U.S. House lawmakers introduce bipartisan bills to target Big Tech

The Hindu  

Lawmakers in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced four bills on Friday aimed at reining in the power of the tech giants in what one congressional aide described as a revolution in antitrust. One measure bans platforms from owning subsidiaries that operate on their platform if those subsidiaries compete with other businesses - potentially forcing the Big Tech firms to …

House lawmakers introduce Big Tech bills that could break up Amazon, Google and others
3 years, 6 months ago

House lawmakers introduce Big Tech bills that could break up Amazon, Google and others

CNN  

CNN Business — Tech giants including Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google could be forced to make sweeping changes to their businesses under a series of new bills introduced Friday by House lawmakers targeting the companies’ economic dominance. “In such instances the bill requires dominant platforms to divest lines of business where the platform’s gatekeeper power allows it to favor its …

US senator wants to ban Big Tech from buying anything ever again
3 years, 8 months ago

US senator wants to ban Big Tech from buying anything ever again

India Today  

US Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican who has been a staunch critic of Big Tech, said on Monday he has introduced a bill that would ban all mergers and acquisitions by any company with a market value greater $100 billion, a category that includes the five biggest US tech companies. Hawley, who accuses the biggest social media companies of stifling …

Big Tech’s outsized influence draws state-level pushback
3 years, 8 months ago

Big Tech’s outsized influence draws state-level pushback

Associated Press  

New York state Sen. Michael Gianaris was ecstatic when Amazon named Long Island City in 2018 as a front-runner for its new headquarters, a project that would bring 25,000 jobs and $2.5 billion in construction spending to his district in Queens. “Traditional antitrust enforcement doesn’t work because Big Tech has become too big and too powerful.” Tech companies aren’t content …

Biden beefs up White House staff, including Big Tech critic Tim Wu
3 years, 9 months ago

Biden beefs up White House staff, including Big Tech critic Tim Wu

The Hindu  

U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday rounded out his White House staff with a top adviser who has advocated for breaking up Big Tech companies along with a host of new appointments focused on COVID-19, criminal justice and the economy. The White House announced six additional staffers to its National Economic Council, including Columbia University professor Tim Wu, who coined …

For Big Tech, Biden brings a new era but no ease in scrutiny
4 years ago

For Big Tech, Biden brings a new era but no ease in scrutiny

Hindustan Times  

The Obama-Biden administration was a charmed era for America’s tech companies — a moment when they were lionized as innovators, hailed as job creators and largely left alone. The social media companies’ CEOs rebuffed accusations of anti-conservative bias at a Senate hearing last month. He said he wants to see quickly crimped the social media companies’ long-held legal protections for …

For Big Tech, Biden brings a new era but no ease in scrutiny
4 years ago

For Big Tech, Biden brings a new era but no ease in scrutiny

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Obama-Biden administration was a charmed era for America’s tech companies — a moment when they were lionized as innovators, hailed as job creators and largely left alone. He said he wants to see quickly crimped the social media companies’ long-held legal protections for speech on their platforms. And he singled out Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg for scorn, …

House antitrust report: Why Big Tech monopolies are so powerful
4 years, 2 months ago

House antitrust report: Why Big Tech monopolies are so powerful

CNN  

CNN — The biggest finding from this week’s House antitrust report on Big Tech isn’t that Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook are monopolies. Follow the data The report — published Tuesday by Democrats leading the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel after a 16-month investigation into Big Tech — catalogs several cases of tech companies wielding an advantage in data against …

House panel says big tech wields monopoly power
4 years, 2 months ago

House panel says big tech wields monopoly power

Live Mint  

America’s biggest technology companies have leveraged their dominance to stamp out competition and stifle innovation, according to a Democratic-led House panel, which said Congress should consider forcing the tech giants to separate their dominant online platforms from other business lines. The report released Tuesday from Democratic staff of the House Antitrust Subcommittee capped a 16-month inquiry into the market power …

Congress Unveils Its Plan to Curb Big Tech’s Power
54 years, 11 months ago

Congress Unveils Its Plan to Curb Big Tech’s Power

Wired  

Anyone who's paid even slight attention to the congressional investigation of the power wielded by tech giants won't be surprised by the report released Tuesday by the subcommittee’s Democrats. The report, which ends a 16-month investigation and includes a trove of internal documents, lays out the most thorough case yet that Big Tech exploits its advantages in unfair ways. As …

Five things to know about the Big Tech antitrust report
4 years, 2 months ago

Five things to know about the Big Tech antitrust report

Associated Press  

After years of calling Big Tech too big, Democratic lawmakers are calling for Congress to rein in Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple by breaking them up, limiting future mergers and blocking self-dealing that could hurt competitors. BYE BYE, BUY BUY BUY The report attributes the “significant and durable market power” of the companies in large part to “a high volume …

Democrats call for Congress to rein in, break up Big Tech
4 years, 2 months ago

Democrats call for Congress to rein in, break up Big Tech

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers are calling for Congress to rein in Big Tech, possibly forcing Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple to break up their businesses, while making it harder for them to acquire others and imposing new rules to safeguard competition. “By controlling access to markets, these giants can pick winners and losers throughout our economy.” In addition to proposing …

US lawmakers say Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple are anti-competition, Big Tech disagrees
4 years, 2 months ago

US lawmakers say Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple are anti-competition, Big Tech disagrees

India Today  

In a first-of-its kind report a US Senate Committee has alleged that the four big tech companies, which are Google, Apple, facebook and Amazon, are “kind of monopolies” last seen decades ago. The report that comes after testimonies of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, note that the big …

U.S. House's antitrust report hints at break-up of Big Tech firms, lawmaker says
4 years, 2 months ago

U.S. House's antitrust report hints at break-up of Big Tech firms, lawmaker says

The Hindu  

The U.S. House of Representatives antitrust report on Big Tech firms contains a “thinly veiled call to break up” the companies, Republican Congressman Ken Buck said in a draft response seen by Reuters. The House antitrust subcommittee is expected to publish its report this week on Amazon.com Inc, Apple Inc, Facebook Inc and Google owner Alphabet Inc. A Buck representative …

House antitrust panel suggests breaking up big tech ‘monopolies’
4 years, 2 months ago

House antitrust panel suggests breaking up big tech ‘monopolies’

LA Times  

A House panel proposed a series of far-reaching antitrust reforms to curb the power of U.S. technology giants including Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, the result of a yearlong antitrust investigation that found the companies are abusing their dominance. The recommendations, contained in a 449-page report from the House antitrust subcommittee, represent the most dramatic proposal to overhaul competition …

How Are Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google Monopolies? House Report Counts The Ways
4 years, 2 months ago

How Are Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google Monopolies? House Report Counts The Ways

NPR  

How Are Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google Monopolies? The four companies began as "scrappy underdog startups" but are now monopolies that must be restricted and regulated, the report from Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel says. Here are the report's key claims about each company: Amazon The report says plainly that "Amazon is the dominant online marketplace" and that …

Lawmakers batter Big Tech CEOs, but don’t land many blows
4 years, 4 months ago

Lawmakers batter Big Tech CEOs, but don’t land many blows

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — Congressional lawmakers finally got a chance Wednesday to grill the CEOs of Big Tech over their dominance and allegations of monopolistic practices that stifle competition. The panel’s chairman, Rep. David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, said each platform controlled by Facebook, Amazon, Google and Apple “is a bottleneck for a key channel of distribution.” “Whether they control access …

US tech giants too powerful, antitrust panel chair warns
4 years, 4 months ago

US tech giants too powerful, antitrust panel chair warns

Live Mint  

Amazon, Apple, Google and Facebook are too powerful and will likely emerge from the coronavirus pandemic even stronger, the head of a US congressional antitrust committee said Wednesday at a high-stakes hearing featuring the CEOs of the four US tech giants. "Simply put, they have too much power," Representative David Cicilline said in his opening remarks at the hearing expected …

Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook are testifying before US Congress
4 years, 4 months ago

Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai, Tim Cook are testifying before US Congress

Live Mint  

Four Big Tech CEOs — Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai of Google and Tim Cook of Apple — are set to answer for their companies’ practices before Congress as a House panel caps its yearlong investigation of market dominance in the industry. The White House cited an earlier Trump executive order in that direction and his request …

Tech CEOs from Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Google Prepare For Their Big Day Before US Congress
4 years, 4 months ago

Tech CEOs from Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Google Prepare For Their Big Day Before US Congress

News 18  

The chief executives of four of the world's largest tech companies, Amazon.com Inc, Facebook Inc, Apple and Alphabet's Google, plan to argue in a congressional hearing on antitrust on Wednesday that they face intense competition from each other and from other rivals. The testimony from Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Google's Sundar Pichai and Apple's Tim Cook, which was …

GOP Dwells on ‘Bias in Big Tech’ as Facebook, Google Take Stand
4 years, 4 months ago

GOP Dwells on ‘Bias in Big Tech’ as Facebook, Google Take Stand

Bloomberg  

When four of the most prominent executives in American business testify before Congress Wednesday, the topic will ostensibly be whether they’ve used their market power to squelch competition. The Republican congressmen participating in the hearing Bloomberg Terminal are eager to talk about another issue: the tech industry’s supposed bias against conservatives. A confidential memo from Republican leadership preparing lawmakers for …

Heads Of Amazon, Apple, Facebook And Google Testify On Big Tech's Power
4 years, 4 months ago

Heads Of Amazon, Apple, Facebook And Google Testify On Big Tech's Power

NPR  

Heads Of Amazon, Apple, Facebook And Google Testify On Big Tech's Power Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/POOL/AFP via Getty Images Updated at 6:35 p.m. Cook said that "there are many reasons why" an app may not meet the App Store's guidelines, dismissing the suggestion that Apple squashed its competition to favor its own …

Bezos, Zuckerberg and other Big Tech chiefs answer to Congress on antitrust concerns
4 years, 4 months ago

Bezos, Zuckerberg and other Big Tech chiefs answer to Congress on antitrust concerns

LA Times  

Members of Congress were in rare bipartisan accord Wednesday in putting titans of Big Tech on the defensive about perceived abuses of their power, as the House antitrust subcommittee continued its year-old investigation of concentration across the digital realm. Simply put: They have too much power.” Since June 2019, the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on antitrust issues has been investigating …

How Congress can expose the silent dangers of big tech (opinion)
4 years, 4 months ago

How Congress can expose the silent dangers of big tech (opinion)

CNN  

Editor’s Note: Dipayan Ghosh is author of “Terms of Disservice: How Silicon Valley is Destructive by Design.” He is co-director of the Digital Platforms & Democracy Project at the Harvard Kennedy School and served as a policy executive at Facebook and prior, as an economic adviser in the Obama White House. It’s a running theme these days: That big tech …

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