Bipartisan Bills Aim at Big Tech’s Market Power

Five bipartisan bills introduced in the House on 6-11 would give regulators more power over big tech companies. They are an apparent reaction to a report by the Judiciary panel released in 2020 that outlined ways in which Amazon, Apple and Facebook abuse market power. Practices targeted include alleged anti-competitive behavior by Apple in its App Store and Amazon on its digital marketplace. A bill that would prohibit dominant platforms from acquiring competitive threats comes as the FTC and several state attorneys general are suing Facebook concerning its acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram. Google’s acquisition of fitness tracker Fitbit has been roundly criticized as well. Other bills require online platforms to make it easier for users and businesses to switch data to other services, and increase filing fees for merger reviews.