Big Tech to tangle with Washington lawmakers in antitrust showdown
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[July 29, 2020]
By Nandita Bose and Diane Bartz
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CEOs of four of
America's largest tech firms will testify before U.S. Congress on
Wednesday in a hearing that promises a healthy dose of political
theater, while also offering a window into the thinking of lawmakers
trying to rein in Big Tech.
Facebook Inc's <FB.O> Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon.com Inc's <AMZN.O> Jeff
Bezos, Alphabet Inc <GOOGL.O>-owned Google's Sundar Pichai and Apple
Inc's <APPL.O> Tim Cook - who together represent about $5 trillion of
the U.S. economy - are set to speak before the House Judiciary
Committee's antitrust panel.
Subcommittee Chairman David Cicilline has been looking in to allegations
by critics that the companies have hurt competitors and consumers with
their business practices and seemingly insatiable appetite for data.
The CEOs plan to defend themselves https://reut.rs/2P4lpYN by saying
they themselves face competition and by pushing back against claims they
are dominant, which has led to fears the hearing will bring up little
new information to hold the companies accountable in the long term.
https://reut.rs/2P4lpYN
The hearing marks the first time the four CEOs have appeared together
before lawmakers, and will also be the first-ever appearance of Bezos
before Congress.
"The hearing is less about substance and is designed to bring attention
to Congressman Cicilline and the work the subcommittee has been doing
for the past year," said Jesse Blumenthal, who leads technology and
innovation at Stand Together, a group that sides with tech companies
that have come under fire from lawmakers and regulators in Washington.
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A 3D printed Google logo is placed on the Apple Macbook in this
illustration taken April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File
Photo
The hearing will also test U.S. lawmakers' ability to ask sharp,
pointed questions that reflect an understanding of how Big Tech
operates. Previous high-profile hearings involving tech companies
have exposed the somewhat limited grasp of Washington politicians of
how the internet and technology work.
It will also offer lawmakers from both parties a chance to bring up
the topic of content censorship - an increasingly sore point for
Republican lawmakers, who have repeatedly complained of
anti-conservative bias at Big Tech companies.
A detailed report with antitrust allegations against the four tech
platforms and recommendations on how to tame their market power
could be released by late summer or early fall by the committee,
which has separately amassed 1.3 million documents from the
companies, senior committee aides said.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Diane Bartz in Washington; Editing by
Chris Sanders and Matthew Lewis)
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