The European Union is taking on Big Tech, an example that our government — and the incoming administration in Washington — should follow.
Antitrust charges against Amazon were filed Nov. 10 by the EU’s executive commission, which regulates antitrust laws. Congress already has told Americans that Amazon, Google and other technology companies play the same game in the U.S. Big Tech uses monopoly power and unfair practices to force out competition.
Washington needs to get to work on antitrust litigation against Big Tech; in this case, the Europeans put us to shame.
Besides the charges already filed, which largely deal with the use of private business data to avoid the typical risks of competition and increase market dominance, the EU is investigating another likely violation. It is looking at the additional action because investigators say Amazon favors proprietary products over those of competitors who use the company for advertising and deliveries to customers.
The EU already took on Google and issued billions of dollars in fines against the company — not enough, but something. Think of what a few billion dollars could do for consumers in this country if distributed for public purposes and rebates.
The evidence of anti-competitive practices is overwhelming, according to a report issued by Congress a few months ago. Amazon, Google, Facebook and Apple dominate the retail and digital world. They collect data on individuals and firms that use their platforms — then they turn that data on both people and smaller companies — killing any company that poses a remote threat and profiting from the private data collected on any one of us who uses their services. The companies also dominate the news and information markets, with at best spotty journalistic practices.
The conclusions of a 449-page House antitrust subcommittee report provide a roadmap to break up Big Tech. Drastic situations call for drastic actions. Fines are helpful, but the EU admits fines don’t solve the problem and the deterrent effect has proved minimal.
The U.S. congressional report points up actions that should be taken right away: laws to stop anti-competitive practices in digital marketing, limit the lines of businesses tech companies can control and strengthen merger and acquisition laws.
The incoming administration should follow the lead of the EU, but with a loftier long-range goal — the breakup of the Big Tech monopoly.
Such a move will benefit consumers on the retail side and citizens in access to news and information from reliable sources.
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
