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Legislators in the House are stepping up their Silicon Valley antitrust investigation, sending numerous requests for internal documents to four of the country's largest technology companies.
Bipartisan leaders of the House of Representatives antitrust subcommittee sent letters to Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google on Friday asking for internal communications and documents regarding the use of their dominant position in the marketplace.
"Today's requests for documents are an important step in this investigation, as we strive to obtain the information our members need to make this decision," said the representative. David Cicilline
David Nicola CicillineHouse: a pressure group advances the bill on the fight against armed violence The message of destitution of Democrats raises serious concerns Ten notable Democrats who are not in favor of dismissal MORE (D-R.I.), Who chairs the subcommittee and heads the antitrust investigation, said in a statement.
"We hope that stakeholders will use this opportunity to provide information to the Committee to ensure that the Internet is an engine of opportunity for everyone, not just for a limited number of auditors. 39; access. "
"This information is essential for determining whether anti-competitive behavior is occurring, whether our antitrust agencies should investigate specific issues, and whether our antitrust laws need to be improved to better promote competition in digital markets," added Rep. Doug Collins
Douglas (Doug) Allen CollinsThe Hill & # 39; s 12:30 Report: House Committee Approves Powers of Withdrawal GOP lawmaker states: "The Judiciary Committee has become a giant filter for Instagram". (Ga.), The top Republican on the entire Judiciary Committee.
The committee requests communications from the executives of each company, documents that have been submitted in previous antitrust investigations, and internal documents detailing their organizational structures. Legislators gave each company a deadline of October 14th.
These demands come as regulators increase their scrutiny of the market power of technology giants.
Last week, Google revealed that it had received a separate application from the Justice Department's investigation records just days before a coalition of 50 US Attorneys General. United does not launch its own antitrust investigation on the Internet search giant.
And Facebook revealed during the summer that it was the subject of an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission.
Asked by The Hill, a Google spokesman pointed to a post posted on the blog by Kent Walker, the company's chief legal officer, last week, in which he promised to cooperate with the wave of antitrust investigations.
"We have answered many questions about these issues over the years, in the United States and abroad, in many aspects of our business, so it's not new to us," he said. said Walker. "We have always worked constructively with regulators and we will continue to do so."
Apple, Amazon and Facebook have not immediately responded to the invitation to comment.
In July, leaders of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google testified before the Antitrust Subcommittee to defend against increased surveillance. Cicillin later reprimanded the four leaders for their testimonyaccusing them of giving "evasive, incomplete or misleading answers" in response to fundamental questions about their market power.
The applications sent on Friday seem in part to try to determine whether the companies intended to suspend competition during their years of rapid growth. The subcommittee asked each company to establish internal communications between key executives regarding past acquisitions.
The list of requested documents would also provide a better understanding of the sectors of companies completely opaque to the outside world.
The letter to Alphabet, parent company of Google, for example, asks for records relating to "Google's algorithm that determines the ranking of search results, including, but not limited to, the way in which Google's algorithm counts Google's content or services and how that algorithm accounts for search results. content or services in competition with Google's offers. "
"The open Internet has brought enormous benefits to Americans, including a wealth of economic opportunities, massive investments and new avenues for online education," said the chair of the House Judiciary Committee. Jerrold Nadler
Jerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerDemocrat from the Chamber of Deputies returns on his contradictory speech on the judicial system This week: Congress returns for the first time since the mass shootings (D-N.Y.) Stated in a statement. "But it is becoming increasingly obvious that a handful of companies have managed to conquer a disproportionate share of online commerce and communications."
"It is increasingly difficult to use the Internet without relying on these services," Nadler said. "The requested documents will allow the Committee to better understand the extent to which these intermediaries enjoy market power, how they use it, if they use it in a manner that harmed consumers and competition, and how should respond. "
Updated at 9:10 am
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