Federal regulators mostly sat back as companies like Google and Facebook gobbled up competitors and grew into massive platforms. But now a growing number of lawmakers from both parties are arguing that these platforms have become akin to public utilities that need oversight — or something more drastic.
Their motivations don’t always align. Democratic concerns center on social media platforms monetizing the spread of disinformation and corroding the public discourse. Republicans have accused Facebook and Twitter of silencing conservatives.
But in both cases, the solution involves the government checking the powers of the tech companies. The results could range from new restrictions on how companies can exploit the personal data of their users, a rewriting of liability laws, or antitrust lawsuits to split the largest companies apart…
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice and state attorneys general are likely to file lawsuits against Google this summer. It would likely be the biggest antitrust fight with a tech company since the United States v. Microsoft Corporation case two decades ago, an antitrust action that ended in a settlement in 2004.
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