The American technology companies Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon are widely abusing their dominant position in the market for online services.
To combat this distortion of competition, far-reaching measures are needed, according to a committee of the House of Representatives.
In a long-awaited report, the committee proposes rules that could lead to the forced split-up of the tech giants.
The committee considers it proven that Facebook, in the field of social media, and Google, in the field of search engines, have become monopolies through illicit practices.
Web store giant Amazon and Apple have “significant and lasting market power,” which they have enforced in part by excluding competition. As a result, innovation is increasingly discouraged by competitors.
In addition, the privacy position of consumers is deteriorating due to the dominance of a handful of tech companies.
It is also becoming increasingly difficult to get reliable news online now that only a few large companies have a lot of influence on its distribution.
