The U.S. Department of Justice has ramped up its antitrust investigation into Apple in recent months, says a report from The Wall Street Journal. The report claims the DoJ has added additional litigators to the case and has made new requests for documents and consultations with companies connected to the investigation.
The report claims the Justice Department is examining Apple’s App Store business practices and whether or not iOS favors Apple’s own apps and services over those by third-party developers.
While Apple has not commented on the report, it has previously denied that it is anti-competitive and that it welcomes competition on the App Store.
The Justice Department in 2019 announced a broad antitrust review of major technology companies. The DoJ said it would be looking into whether the companies -including Apple, Google, Facebook, and Amazon – unlawfully stifle competition. If the Justice Department chooses to move forward, Apple would face an antitrust lawsuit by the U.S. government.
The DoJ investigation is just one of multiple investigations into tech companies, as the FTC and a House antitrust subcommittee have also been investigating anticompetitive conduct among major tech companies.