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A24 TECHNOLOGY
Saturday 14 September 2019
Lawmakers ask 4 big tech companies for documents in probe

By MARCY GORDON Apple and Amazon didn’t
AP Business Writer respond to requests for
WASHINGTON (AP) — Law- comment Friday. Google
makers investigating the referred to a recent blog
market dominance of post by its senior vice presi-
Big Tech on Friday asked dent for global affairs, Kent
Google, Facebook, Ama- Walker, saying the compa-
zon and Apple for a broad ny is anticipating addition-
range of documents, mark- al questions from investiga-
ing a step forward in Con- tions and that “We have
gress’ bipartisan probe of always worked construc-
the companies. tively with regulators and
Letters went out to the four we will continue to do so.”
companies from the lead- The companies have said
ers of the House Judiciary they’ll cooperate fully with
Committee and its sub- the congressional investi-
committee on antitrust, gation.
which has been conduct- Judiciary Committee Chair-
ing a sweeping investiga- man Rep. Jerrold Nadler,
tion of the companies and D-N.Y., said the docu-
their impact on competi- ments will help the commit-
tion and consumers. The tee understand “whether
lawmakers are seeking a they are using their market
detailed and broad range House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., right, confers with Rep. David power in ways that have
of documents related to Cicilline, D-R.I., left, as the panel approves procedures for upcoming impeachment investigation harmed consumers and
the companies’ sprawling hearings on President Donald Trump, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2019. competition and how Con-
operations, including top Associated Press gress should respond.”
executives’ internal com- and state attorneys gen- said Friday in an interview Also Friday, the European The letters went to the four
munications. eral from both major po- on CNBC. Union’s powerful competi- companies’ CEOs: Larry
The move comes as scru- litical parties have opened Chopra, a Democrat, tion chief indicated that Page of Google’s par-
tiny of the big tech compa- antitrust investigations of wouldn’t confirm specifi- she’s looking at expand- ent company Alphabet
nies deepens and widens Google and Facebook. cally names of companies ing regulations on per- Inc.; Mark Zuckerberg of
across the federal govern- The probe of Google has that could be under inves- sonal data, dropping an Facebook; Jeff Bezos of
ment and U.S. states and drawn participation by 50 tigation, but he said the initial hint about how she Amazon; and Tim Cook of
abroad. The Justice De- states and territories. agency is consulting close- plans to use new powers Apple. They were signed
partment and the Federal “We have to act if we see ly with the Justice Depart- against tech companies. by Nadler and Collins; Rep.
Trade Commission are con- that they’re breaking the ment and the state attor- Margrethe Vestager said David Cicilline, D-R.I., who
ducting competition inves- law,” Rohit Chopra, one neys general as their work that while Europeans have heads the antitrust sub-
tigations of the companies, of the FTC commissioners, proceeds. control over their own data committee leading the
through the EU’s world- investigation; and Rep.
EU competition chief hints at new leading data privacy rules, James Sensenbrenner of
they don’t address prob-
Wisconsin, the subcommit-
data rules for tech firms lems stemming from the tee’s senior Republican.
way companies use other Cicilline has said Congress
people’s data “to draw and antitrust regulators
By KELVIN CHAN conclusions about me or to wrongly allowed the big
AP Business Writer undermine democracy.” tech companies to regu-
LONDON (AP) — The Eu- The bipartisan accord late themselves, enabling
ropean Union’s powerful marking the Judiciary an- them to operate out of
competition chief indi- titrust inquiry contrasts with control, dominating the
cated Friday that she’s the bitter divide in the internet and choking off
looking at expanding reg- panel over the issue of im- online innovation and en-
ulations on personal data, peachment of President trepreneurship. He has sug-
dropping an initial hint Donald Trump. Republi- gested legislative changes
about how she plans to cans denounced the com- may be needed, though
use new powers against mittee Democrats’ ap- he has called breaking up
tech companies. proval Thursday of ground the companies a last resort.
Margrethe Vestager said rules for hearings, which set At a hearing of the antitrust
that while Europeans the stage to launch an im- panel in July, executives of
have control over their peachment investigation. the four companies pushed
own data through the In this Thursday, July 18, 2019 file photo, European Antitrust “Democrats followed the back against lawmakers’
EU’s world-leading data Commissioner Margrethe Vestager talks during a news yellow brick road, and accusations that they op-
privacy rules, they don’t conference at the European Commission headquarters in now they’re fully lost in Im- erate as monopolies, lay-
address problems stem- Brussels. peachment Oz,” said Rep. ing out ways in which they
ming from the way com- Associated Press Doug Collins of Georgia, say they compete fairly yet
panies use other people’s nies collect and use data to a second term as the the committee’s senior Re- vigorously against rivals in
data, “to draw conclu- doesn’t harm the funda- EU’s competition com- publican. the marketplace.
sions about me or to un- mental values of our so- missioner. She was also The lawmakers set an Oct. Cicilline said he was dissat-
dermine democracy.” ciety,” Vestager said in a given new powers as an 14 deadline for the tech isfied with the answers the
“So we may also need speech in Copenhagen . executive vice president companies to provide the executives gave to law-
broader rules to make Vestager spoke days af- to shape the bloc’s digital documents. makers’ questions, calling
sure that the way compa- ter she was appointed policies.q Spokesmen for Facebook, their testimony “evasive.”q