FTC Announced Creation of Technology Task Force
The Federal Trade
Commission’s Bureau of Competition
announced the creation of a Technology Task Force. It is
dedicated to monitoring competition in the U.S. technology markets,
investigating any potential anticompetitive conduct in those
markets, and taking enforcement actions when warranted.
The creation of this task force is modeled on the FTC’s Merger
Litigation Task Force which reinvigorated the Bureau of
Competition’s hospital merger review program, and also sharpened
the agency’s focus on merger enforcement in retail industries,
particularly regarding matters involving food, beverages, and
supermarkets.
“The role of technology in the economy and in our lives grows
more important every day,” said FTC Chairman Joe Simons. “As
I’ve noted in the past, it makes sense for us to closely examine
technology markets to ensure consumers benefit from free and fair
competition.”
The Technology Task Force will have about 17 staff attorneys. It
will include attorneys with unique expertise in complex product and
service markets and ecosystems, including markets for online
advertising, social networking, mobile operating systems and apps,
and platform businesses.
“Technology markets, which are rapidly evolving and touch so
many other sectors of the economy, raise distinct challenges for
antitrust enforcement,” said Bureau Director Bruce Hoffman. “By
centralizing our expertise and attention, the new task force will
be able to focus on these markets exclusively – ensuring they are
operating pursuant to the antitrust laws, and taking action where
they are not.”
Personally, I think the existence of the Technology Task Force
should worry companies like Facebook, Google, and Twitter. Each one
will have to consider antitrust laws before gobbling up smaller
companies. I wonder if the Technology Task Force will look at the
companies who make video games, who buy up smaller competitors, and
then do massive layoffs a little while later.
I’m hoping that the consumer protection aspect of the
Technology Task Force will put in place restrictions on how social
media companies can use people’s data – especially in
situations where that data is being used to make money for those
companies. It will be interesting to see what, exactly, the
Technology Task Force does.
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FTC Announced Creation of Technology Task Force appeared first
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