The Trump administration is continuing its scrutiny of tech giants despite industry hopes for lighter regulatory treatment. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under Trump’s appointees is showing no signs of easing up on its investigation into companies like Meta, Google, and Amazon. The FTC and Justice Department have filed multiple lawsuits against the tech industry, accusing companies of antitrust violations and monopolies.
The cases currently in progress include the FTC’s lawsuit against Meta for its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, and the Justice Department’s case against Google for its dominance in the online search market. The FTC has also accused Amazon of anticompetitive behavior for squeezing small merchants selling on its marketplace.
The Trump administration has also promised to promote the development of artificial intelligence in the US by rescinding a Biden-era executive order that put guardrails on the use of the technology. The administration has solicited the industry’s input on how to move forward with policy around A.I.
In the past, Trump’s appointees have shown a more hands-off approach to mergers and acquisitions in the tech industry, but the Justice Department recently sued to block the $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, marking the first deal challenge under Trump’s second term.
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