The European Union chief, Margrethe Vestager expressed her concerns over the breaking up tech giants like Apple and Google. In a statement given to The Information, she said that the tech industry is likely to face “unintended consequences” and prolonged legal entanglements if the regulatory body decides to impose harsher legislation against the aforementioned platforms.
Apple and Google, along with Facebook and Amazon have been under scrutiny by various regulatory authorities around the world because of their alleged anticompetitive business practices and monopolizing policies. Apple in particular is heavily probed by EU, USA, Italy, Russia, and Japan over its control of iOS App Store policies and 30 percent commission rate.
EU concerned over breaking-up Apple and Google
While other members of the EU anti-trust committee are pushing for stronger laws and regulations against the tech giants, the EU digital policy and antitrust chief Margrethe Vestagar is of the opposite opinion. She told the publisher that,
“I don’t think it is something that should be introduced in this legislation. And I think one should be very careful with that type of remedy because one should be very sure how it would actually work.
It would tie you up in court for a very very long time. I think its important we try these routes first with the platforms.”
Earlier this month, it was reported that the EU is drafting new legislation that would ban Apple from selling new iPhones and iPad with pre-installed apps in Europe. Under that law, the tech giants would have to share data with smaller competitors and limit the ways platforms collect users’ data. Like other regulators, EU legislators are also trying to protect smaller developers by eliminating anti-competitor policies but how successful will they be.
Vestagar’s assessment resonates with the opinion of a veteran lawyer, Gary Reback, who successfully prosecuted Microsoft. He says that it is impossible to litigate tech giants. He explained that since the anti-trust laws were not clearly defined, it would be hard for regulators to hold the big four tech giants of the world, Apple, Google, Amazon, and Facebook accountable for their business models. Speaking of the US Department of Justice, he said the legal department lacks technology-related knowledge, personal and direction to win cases against Apple and other digital and tech giants.
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