Google and Apple may be investigated over browser monopoly
Because of worries that Google and Apple have a “duopoly” in mobile browsers, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is exploring opening an investigation into this situation.
Regarding the Android and iOS software platforms, mobile apps, and mobile web browsers, the CMA claims that both businesses have created “duopolies on digital ecosystems that allow them to exercise a grip over these markets.”
It is currently seeking advice before investigating the supremacy of the pair. Just a few days ago, it began a probe into Google’s hegemony in digital ad tech exchanges. Now, it is holding a consultation that will go until July 22. The next probe expands on the regulators’ assessment of the corporations’ hegemony in the mobile technology sector from the previous year. The CMA has “identified a number of potential interventions across these ecosystems” in light of its evaluation, and it has “looked at where it may take urgent focused action to confront these challenges using its current authorities.”
Given that Chrome and Safari are installed by default on Android and iOS devices, Google and Apple collectively control 90% of the UK’s web browser market.
To curb Big Tech’s anti-competitive actions, lawmakers in the US are drafting two bills. Tech oligopolies won’t be able to prefer their own services thanks to the American Choice and Innovation Act (AICO) and the Open App Markets Act. Additionally, it is looking into Google’s app store payment procedures. The new Play Store billing policy mandates that all in-app purchases be processed through the company’s proprietary infrastructure. It did not go over well, and last year Google was sued on the grounds that it has an unlicensed monopoly on the distribution of mobile apps.