Slashdot reader alternative_right shares a report from Politico:
Justice Department and state prosecutors investigating Google for alleged antitrust violations are considering whether to force the company to sell its dominant Chrome browser and parts of its lucrative advertising business, three people with knowledge of the discussions said… The conversations — amid preparations for an antitrust legal battle that the Department of Justice…
Tag: house judiciary committee
Microsoft Is Now the ‘Adult In the Room’ Among Big Tech, Says Seattle Congresswoman
As Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google are being targeted by the House Judiciary Committee for abusing American antitrust law, one major company has managed to escape the glare: Microsoft. That’s because they are now “the adult in the room in some ways on this issue,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D., Wash.), a Democratic member of the House Antitrust subcommittee, which has…
House Democrats Tackle Big Tech ‘Monopolies’
The House Judiciary Committee says Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google are monopolies — but its new plan to rein in their power won’t change anything overnight. Instead, Democratic lawmakers propose to rewrite American antitrust law in order to restructure the U.S.’s most successful and powerful industry over time. From a report: The report is a long pass down the field of…
Justice Department Is Scrutinizing Takeover of Credit Karma by Intuit, Maker of TurboTax
The Department of Justice is scrutinizing Silicon Valley giant Intuit’s $7 billion takeover attempt of Credit Karma, an upstart personal finance firm that became a competitor when it launched a free tax prep offering that challenges Intuit’s TurboTax product. From a report: The probe comes after ProPublica first reported in February that antitrust experts viewed the deal as concerning because it…
An Amazon Ad Prompted Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller To Block In-App Purchases of Kindle Books On iOS
According to a collection of internal emails recently released by lawmakers, as part of the House Judiciary Committee’s antirust probe into Apple, a series of Amazon advertisements prompted Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller to block in-app purchases of Kindle books on iOS. 9to5Mac reports: As it stands today, the Kindle app for iPhone and iPad does not allow users to purchase…
Google Accused By Developer of Retaliation For Cooperating With House Antitrust Investigation
Google kicked an email app off its Play Store Friday, just days after its developers revealed they were cooperating with House lawmakers who questioned the tech giants’ chief executives during a landmark tech antitrust hearing earlier this week. From a report: The founders of Blix, the maker of the “BlueMail” app, say they believe the move was retaliation for their outspokenness…
Apple Halved App Store Fee To Get Amazon Prime Video On Devices
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Apple agreed in 2016 to halve its App Store fee for Amazon as part of a deal to put the e-commerce giant’s Prime Video app on Apple’s mobile devices and TV set-top box. Eddy Cue, an Apple senior vice president, and Amazon Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos negotiated directly on the deal, according…
Apple Emails Reveal Internal Debate on Right to Repair
Tim Cook didn’t reveal anything new during his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. But emails his company shared with the committee spoke volumes. These internal discussions reveal that what looks like Apple’s united front against Right to Repair is really an internal debate, rife with uncertainty. From a report: The New York Times editorial in favor of Right to…