Hearing exposes tech giants' rampant violations of antitrust laws

WASHINGTON — Today's Big Tech hearing was a great victory for the American people. Questions by committee members brought a vast amount of damaging information to the public and raised fundamental questions about the legality of these corporations' business models and practices. 

In light of the damning details revealed today, law enforcers at both the federal and state level now have little option but to immediately use the full extent of their powers to restore a competitive digital marketplace.

Sally Hubbard, director of enforcement strategy at Open Markets Institute, issues the following statement:

"Today's hearing was one of the most important hearings on economic concentration since the Pujo Committee in 1913, which resulted in the destruction of the plutocrats' power. It made clear that Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon are the modern equivalents of the railroads that used network monopolies to determine who gets to market and who doesn't. Such absolute arbitrary power of any gatekeeper poses a direct threat to American democracy. We must impose nondiscrimination rules on these corporations, as we have to every previous network monopoly in history.

 "No longer can anyone dispute the fact that tech giants build and maintain their empires by breaking the antitrust laws. Google and Amazon use their control of search rankings – and the discoverability of commerce and information – to exclude competition and to determine the fates of entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes. Apple gives special treatment to its own apps. Facebook bought Instagram and WhatsApp for the purpose of eliminating competitive threats after spying on their businesses through its control of digital infrastructure. These mergers were illegal, part of a pattern of monopolization, and should be unwound. 

"Tech platforms have controlled markets and wielded their political power to make the rules for too long. The show of strength by members of the subcommittee today indicates that those days are over. Next, antitrust enforcers should depose each CEO under oath for as long as it takes to uncover the full truth. They must promptly bring antitrust lawsuits and seek structural remedies, rather than accepting weak settlements or meaningless fines. Congress, too, must use this hearing as a springboard for aggressive reforms that deconcentrate control over essential services for American citizens and businesses, and that ensure nondiscrimination in prices and terms. Our economy and democracy depend on it."

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