U.S. Justice Department approves antitrust bill targeting Amazon, Google, Apple

It is learned that the U.S. Department of Justice approved legislation on Monday called the American Innovation and Online Choice Act, which prohibits large digital platforms such as Amazon and Google from tilting traffic toward their own products and services. This marks the first time that the Biden administration has fully supported antitrust measures.

The bill was approved by a U.S. Senate Judiciary subcommittee in a bipartisan vote in January, and the House Judiciary Committee has also considered a similar bill. The Justice Department expressed support for the bill in a letter to the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"The Department of Justice believes that the rise of these large platforms poses a threat to open markets and fair competition, and that restricting the platforms' behavior would bring significant benefits," the Justice Department's letter read. In addition, the monopolistic behavior of these large platforms will undermine the returns to other innovators and entrepreneurs, reducing the incentive for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc.'s Google, Apple Inc. and others have opposed the bill, saying it would make it harder for them to offer popular services and noting it's fair for electronic marketplaces, search engines and app stores to profit from the market.

However, the bill still has not received a vote in either chamber and faces resistance from the industry as well as skepticism from both chambers. Some conservatives are wary of expanding the government's power to regulate digital markets, while some Democrats, particularly from California, say the legislation unfairly targets a few large companies.

Additionally, some senators who voted "yes" said they still want to see changes to the bill before it passes the Senate.

Editor ✎ Xiao Zhu/

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