politics
Bipartisan Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill Targeting Large Technology Platforms
A group of bipartisan lawmakers reintroduced legislation last week that would restrict certain business practices by large technology platforms. The bill sets new rules without requiring proof of market power or harm to competition.
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Last week, a group of bipartisan lawmakers reintroduced legislation that would place restrictions on large technology platforms based on user and revenue thresholds. The bill targets practices such as self-preferencing, product tying, and the use of nonpublic data from business users.
It applies to platforms meeting certain size criteria without first requiring a showing that the firm holds market power.
Under existing U.S. antitrust law, plaintiffs must typically show market power, likely harm to competition, and that any harm outweighs procompetitive benefits. The reintroduced bill removes these requirements for most listed practices and limits the defenses available to covered firms.
U.S. antitrust enforcement has produced recent court victories against large technology companies under current statutes.
If enacted, the legislation would prevent platforms from using aggregated seller data to offer lower-priced alternatives to consumers. It would also limit how platforms integrate new features developed from large capital investments. The bill's approach mirrors measures adopted in other countries that have led to fines and added compliance costs for affected firms.
