The United States Justice Department will be performing a broad antitrust review of major technology companies. The DoJ will be looking into whether the companies -including Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon – are unlawfully stifling competition.
The Wall Street Journal reports the DoJ will be examining the practices of online platforms that “dominate internet search, social media and retail services.”
The Justice Department will examine issues including how the most dominant tech firms have grown in size and might–and expanded their reach into additional businesses. The Justice Department also is interested in how Big Tech has leveraged the powers that come with having very large networks of users, the officials said.
No defined goal for the investigation has been announced, other than to determine whether there are antitrust issues that need to be addressed. DoJ officials says there are a “broad range of options are on the table.” The investigation will also take a look at other company practices that may raise concern about compliance laws.
The DoJ investigation is just one of recent investigations into tech companies, as the FTC and a House antitrust subcommittee have also been investigating anticompetitive conduct among major tech companies. Last week, executives from Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google testified before Congress.