WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday it was opening an investigation of major digital tech firms on whether they engage in anticompetitive practices.
The review will look into “whether and how market-leading online platforms have achieved market power and are engaging in practices that have reduced competition, stifled innovation, or otherwise harmed consumers,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
The Justice Department did not identify specific companies but said the review would consider concerns raised about “search, social media, and some retail services online” — an apparent reference to Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O) and Facebook Inc (FB.O), and potentially Apple Inc (AAPL.O).
Google and Apple declined to comment, while Facebook and Amazon did not immediately comment.
“Without the discipline of meaningful market-based competition, digital platforms may act in ways that are not responsive to consumer…
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