US Justice Department escalates Apple probe

The U.S. Justice Department has in recent months escalated its long-running antitrust probe on Apple Inc, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday citing people familiar with the matter.

Reuters previously reported the Justice Department opened an antitrust probe into Apple in 2019 to review whether technology giants were using their size to act in an anti-competitive manner.

The Wall Street Journal report said the department has now assigned more litigators, while new requests for documents and consultations have been made with all the companies involved.

The probe will also look at whether Apple’s mobile operating system, iOS, is anti-competitive, favoring its own products over those of outside developers, the report added.

Last month, the Justice Department sued Alphabet Inc’s Google, accusing it of abusing its dominance in digital advertising, threatening to dismantle a key business at the heart of one of Silicon Valley’s most successful internet companies.

In 2020, the Justice Department sued Google alleging violations of antitrust law in how the company acquires or maintains its dominant position in online search and is scheduled to go to trial in September.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is investigating Amazon.com for possible antitrust violations. The commission began probing Amazon during the Trump administration.

The retail giant has been criticized for allegedly favoring its own products and disfavoring outside sellers on its platform. Reuters