US&nbsp;state attorneys general probing Alphabet's Google plan to meet next month in Colorado to discuss a probe into whether the search giant's business practices break antitrust law, according to three sources knowledgeable about the meeting.

The meeting, which is being planned for Nov. 11, would be similar to a gathering this week in New York where state and federal enforcers from the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission discussed their probe of Facebook, according to one of the sources.

A second source said that this meeting would touch on organizational issues and was likely to be one in a long series of gatherings to discuss the probe.

The investigation of Google appears to be well underway since Texas sent the search and advertising giant a subpoena asking for information about its ad business. As of earlier this month, Google began sending data to the attorneys general.

The investigation, which involves all state attorneys general except Alabama and California, seeks to dig into the opaque business of online digital advertising, where Google is a dominant player. Attorneys general for the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico are also part of the investigation.

Google, which had no comment for this story, offers free searches, email and other services but much of its revenue is from advertising.

Google has previously said that it was cooperating with federal regulators and with the state probe.

Google faces two other major inquiries - a US&nbsp;Justice Department investigation and a probe by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee - both of which have broad reviews of the big internet companies underway.

US state attorneys general probing Alphabet's Google plan to meet next month in Colorado to discuss a probe into whether the search giant's business practices break antitrust law, according to three sources knowledgeable about the meeting.

US state attorneys general probing Alphabet's Google plan to meet next month in Colorado to discuss a probe into whether the search giant's business practices break antitrust law, according to three sources knowledgeable about the meeting. The meeting, which is being planned for Nov. 11, would be similar to a gathering this week in New York where state and federal enforcers from the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission discussed their probe of Facebook, according to one of the sources. A second source said that this meeting would touch on organizational issues and was likely to be one in a long series of gatherings to discuss the probe. The investigation of Google appears to be well underway since Texas sent the search and advertising giant a subpoena asking for information about its ad business. As of earlier this month, Google began sending data to the attorneys general. The investigation, which involves all state attorneys general except Alabama and California, seeks to dig into the opaque business of online digital advertising, where Google is a dominant player. Attorneys general for the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico are also part of the investigation. Google, which had no comment for this story, offers free searches, email and other services but much of its revenue is from advertising. Google has previously said that it was cooperating with federal regulators and with the state probe. Google faces two other major inquiries - a US Justice Department investigation and a probe by the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee - both of which have broad reviews of the big internet companies underway.

US states plan Google antitrust meeting next month in Colorado: Report

The European Union's powerful anti-trust authority on Wednesday ordered United States chipmaker Broadcom to immediately halt certain practices, in an unprecedented salvo against US big tech.

The European Commission took the extremely rare move of ordering the interim changes from one of Silicon Valley's pioneer companies while the EU's investigation was still underway, citing the "irreparable" threats to competition.

"Broadcom's behaviour is likely, in the absence of intervention, to create serious and irreversible harm to competition," the EU's Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

"We have strong indications that Broadcom, the world's leading supplier of chipsets used for TV set-top boxes and modems, is engaging in anticompetitive practices," she said.

With the order, Vestager significantly stepped up her scrutiny of US tech giants, where investigations usually dragged on for years before companies were fined or ordered into compliance.

The ongoing investigation centres on Broadcom's highly popular TV and modem chipsets, devices that offer television and internet access to customers at home or work.

The commission said it has obtained information that Broadcom may be requiring firms to buy only its components or granting them rebates and other advantages if they buy high quantities.

The commission said it had also heard Broadcom maybe bundling products or deliberately undermining the "interoperability" between Broadcom products and other products.

The commission in June sent a "statement of objections on interim measures" to Broadcom requiring it to swiftly stop such alleged practices.

The European Union's powerful anti-trust authority on Wednesday ordered United States chipmaker Broadcom to immediately halt certain practices, in an unprecedented salvo against US big tech.

The European Union's powerful anti-trust authority on Wednesday ordered United States chipmaker Broadcom to immediately halt certain practices, in an unprecedented salvo against US big tech. The European Commission took the extremely rare move of ordering the interim changes from one of Silicon Valley's pioneer companies while the EU's investigation was still underway, citing the "irreparable" threats to competition. "Broadcom's behaviour is likely, in the absence of intervention, to create serious and irreversible harm to competition," the EU's Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. "We have strong indications that Broadcom, the world's leading supplier of chipsets used for TV set-top boxes and modems, is engaging in anticompetitive practices," she said. With the order, Vestager significantly stepped up her scrutiny of US tech giants, where investigations usually dragged on for years before companies were fined or ordered into compliance. The ongoing investigation centres on Broadcom's highly popular TV and modem chipsets, devices that offer television and internet access to customers at home or work. The commission said it has obtained information that Broadcom may be requiring firms to buy only its components or granting them rebates and other advantages if they buy high quantities. The commission said it had also heard Broadcom maybe bundling products or deliberately undermining the "interoperability" between Broadcom products and other products. The commission in June sent a "statement of objections on interim measures" to Broadcom requiring it to swiftly stop such alleged practices.

European Union orders emergency anti-trust measures against chip-maker Broadcom

US lawmakers have requested information from Apple critic Spotify as part of an antitrust probe, according to two sources briefed on the investigation into allegations the iPhone maker engages in anti-competitive behavior to support its own apps.

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-supreme-court-agrees-to-hear-case-on-restrictive-abortion-law-253858">US</a> House of Representatives Judiciary Committee reached out to the music streaming service with broad requests for information, according to one source, who added the request to the company was narrowed in follow up telephone calls.

Spotify Technology SA filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union in March, but the contact with the committee marks its first known participation in congressional inquiries into the iPhone maker, whose Apple Music streaming service is Spotify's biggest rival.

Spotify and other developers have alleged that Apple engages in anticompetitive behavior by imposing rules that hamper distribution via its App Store, the only way for third-party developers to reach more than 900 million iPhone users.

At the same time, Apple sometimes copies the features of their apps for its own offerings, developers have said. Multiple apps in the App Store offered female cycle tracking before Apple added the same feature to its own health tracking app this fall, for example.

Spotify has been pressing for antitrust action against Apple for several years.

Its representatives have met with Justice Department officials, as well as members of the FTC's Technology Task Force, a group of some 17 attorneys that was set up in February to focus on online platforms and other Internet competition issues, according to one source.

App developers also complain that Apple's Siri, which response to verbal commands and can control Apple's own apps, has long had limited functionality with the vast majority of non-Apple apps, including Spotify.

Apple announced an update to its software in June that would allow Siri to access Spotify and other music services.

Beyond Spotify, the congressional probe has tapped many companies for details on the four big tech firms.

In addition to the Judiciary Committee probe, the big tech companies face a plethora of other antitrust investigations.

The Justice Department is probing Alphabet's Google, Facebook, and Apple while the Federal Trade Commission is investigating <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/paypal-abandons-facebook-backed-libra-cryptocurrency-group-253843">Facebook</a> and Amazon.com. Groups of state attorneys general have also been formed to probe <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/google-cant-escape-copyright-laws-frances-emmanuel-macron-253863">Google</a> and Facebook.

Spotify has complained also about the 30 per cent fee that Apple charges outside app developers who sell so-called digital goods such as music or e-books on the App Store, using Apple's in-app billing system. Apple bars app makers for collecting payment any other way on the App Store or showing users links or buttons to other ways to pay.

At one point, Apple told Spotify to stop sending emails to users who had just signed up for a free version of its streaming music prompting them to upgrade to the paid service, Spotify has said. Spotify has said the shifting rules, and Apple's threats to block routine app updates, have made it difficult to compete with Apple's own music service on a level playing field.

Asked for comment, Apple referred to its previous responses, published in March, to Spotify's claims. The company says it enforces its App Store rules evenly among all developers and that more than eight out of every 10 apps are free and pay nothing to Apple. Apple has said Spotify pays nothing for users of its free service or for paid Spotify members who signed up outside the App Store.

Apple has said Spotify pays a revenue share on about half a per cent of its 108 million premium users, paying 15 per cent&nbsp;fees on roughly 680,000 customers that Spotify acquired between 2014 and 2016 when it used Apple's payment systems.

US lawmakers have requested information from Apple critic Spotify as part of an antitrust probe, according to two sources briefed on the investigation into allegations the iPhone maker engages in anti-competitive behavior to support its own apps.

US lawmakers have requested information from Apple critic Spotify as part of an antitrust probe, according to two sources briefed on the investigation into allegations the iPhone maker engages in anti-competitive behavior to support its own apps. The US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee reached out to the music streaming service with broad requests for information, according to one source, who added the request to the company was narrowed in follow up telephone calls. Spotify Technology SA filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union in March, but the contact with the committee marks its first known participation in congressional inquiries into the iPhone maker, whose Apple Music streaming service is Spotify's biggest rival. Spotify and other developers have alleged that Apple engages in anticompetitive behavior by imposing rules that hamper distribution via its App Store, the only way for third-party developers to reach more than 900 million iPhone users. At the same time, Apple sometimes copies the features of their apps for its own offerings, developers have said. Multiple apps in the App Store offered female cycle tracking before Apple added the same feature to its own health tracking app this fall, for example. Spotify has been pressing for antitrust action against Apple for several years. Its representatives have met with Justice Department officials, as well as members of the FTC's Technology Task Force, a group of some 17 attorneys that was set up in February to focus on online platforms and other Internet competition issues, according to one source. App developers also complain that Apple's Siri, which response to verbal commands and can control Apple's own apps, has long had limited functionality with the vast majority of non-Apple apps, including Spotify. Apple announced an update to its software in June that would allow Siri to access Spotify and other music services. Beyond Spotify, the congressional probe has tapped many companies for details on the four big tech firms. In addition to the Judiciary Committee probe, the big tech companies face a plethora of other antitrust investigations. The Justice Department is probing Alphabet's Google, Facebook, and Apple while the Federal Trade Commission is investigating Facebook and Amazon.com. Groups of state attorneys general have also been formed to probe Google and Facebook. Spotify has complained also about the 30 per cent fee that Apple charges outside app developers who sell so-called digital goods such as music or e-books on the App Store, using Apple's in-app billing system. Apple bars app makers for collecting payment any other way on the App Store or showing users links or buttons to other ways to pay. At one point, Apple told Spotify to stop sending emails to users who had just signed up for a free version of its streaming music prompting them to upgrade to the paid service, Spotify has said. Spotify has said the shifting rules, and Apple's threats to block routine app updates, have made it difficult to compete with Apple's own music service on a level playing field. Asked for comment, Apple referred to its previous responses, published in March, to Spotify's claims. The company says it enforces its App Store rules evenly among all developers and that more than eight out of every 10 apps are free and pay nothing to Apple. Apple has said Spotify pays nothing for users of its free service or for paid Spotify members who signed up outside the App Store. Apple has said Spotify pays a revenue share on about half a per cent of its 108 million premium users, paying 15 per cent fees on roughly 680,000 customers that Spotify acquired between 2014 and 2016 when it used Apple's payment systems.

Antitrust probers in Congress ask Spotify to detail alleged Apple abuses: Sources

A coalition of US states unveiled on Friday an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced the action on behalf of seven other states and the District of Columbia to probe "whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk."

The case may be the first in a series of antitrust actions against Big Tech firms and highlights growing "techlash," based on worries about platforms that control the flow of online information and dominate key economic sectors.

"We will use every investigative tool at our disposal to determine whether Facebook's actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers' choices, or increased the price of advertising," James said.

Joining the action were attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee, said, James.

Earlier this year the US Justice Department said it would launch a "review" of major online platforms to determine if they have stifled innovation or reduced competition.

It was not immediately clear if the states would be working in coordination with federal officials.

'Rising fears'

Facebook offered no immediate comment, but in the past, it has claimed it is not a monopoly and that consumers have many choices for how to connect with people online.

The new probe "shows how unease with large tech companies is spreading beyond Congress and the federal government agencies to the states," said Michael Carrier, professor of antitrust law at Rutgers University.

"With each passing day, there are greater fears about these companies controlling our online lives."

Yet the legal basis for an antitrust action remains unclear, said Eric Goldman, director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University.

"It remains to be seen if the (attorneys general) has any merit to their complaints or if they will be conducting a fishing expedition hoping to find some damning evidence," Goldman said.

"Companies as large as Google or Facebook probably have minor problematic practices the AGs could target, but I'm still waiting for any evidence that would support more structural challenges to the internet giants' practices."

'More on Monday'

A separate coalition of states was set to launch another antitrust initiative, with Google reportedly a target.

The office of the Texas attorney general scheduled an event Monday in Washington with a "broad coalition of states" to unveil a probe into "whether large tech companies have engaged in anticompetitive behaviour that stifled competition, restricted access, and harmed consumers."

Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said the company's services "help people every day, create more choice for consumers, and support thousands of jobs and small businesses across the country" and pledged to "work constructively with regulators."

'What's the remedy?'

Maurice Stucke, a University of Tennessee law professor, said he expects one of the areas being investigated will be online advertising markets, which are dominated by Google and Facebook.

"This is a great area to look at because the market has been criticized as being opaque," Stucke said.

Stucke said the investigations may go further by looking at how tech platforms control data, potentially examining "the intersection between competition law and privacy."

Amazon and Apple may also be in the crosshairs. Critics have complained that Amazon wields too much power in online retail and that Apple may disadvantage rivals offering services in its app store.

In the European Union, Google has faced a series of antitrust actions and Amazon is now being targeted by enforcers.

Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has made a breakup of the big tech firms a part of her campaign platform.

But some analysts say the case against the tech firms faces challenges because the companies have in many cases provided services for free and brought prices down, making it hard to prove they harmed "consumer welfare," a longstanding judicial precedent.

Jessica Melugin of the Competitive Enterprise Institute said the state officials are stretching the limits of antitrust.

"This sort of high-profile activism may benefit state AGs' political ambitions, but impose harmful costs on consumers, businesses, and the economy," she said in a statement.

But Stucke said it would be wrong to view antitrust law as solely focused on consumer prices, and that it may be applied to questions of competition and innovation.

The probes could end up with a variety of outcomes including fines, restrictions on conduct or a breakup, Stucke maintained.

"You'd have to show how the remedy would address the concerns," he said.

A coalition of US states unveiled on Friday an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms.

A coalition of US states unveiled on Friday an antitrust investigation of Facebook, the first of what is expected to be a wave of action against dominant technology firms. New York State Attorney General Letitia James announced the action on behalf of seven other states and the District of Columbia to probe "whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk." The case may be the first in a series of antitrust actions against Big Tech firms and highlights growing "techlash," based on worries about platforms that control the flow of online information and dominate key economic sectors. "We will use every investigative tool at our disposal to determine whether Facebook's actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers' choices, or increased the price of advertising," James said. Joining the action were attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee, said, James. Earlier this year the US Justice Department said it would launch a "review" of major online platforms to determine if they have stifled innovation or reduced competition. It was not immediately clear if the states would be working in coordination with federal officials. 'Rising fears' Facebook offered no immediate comment, but in the past, it has claimed it is not a monopoly and that consumers have many choices for how to connect with people online. The new probe "shows how unease with large tech companies is spreading beyond Congress and the federal government agencies to the states," said Michael Carrier, professor of antitrust law at Rutgers University. "With each passing day, there are greater fears about these companies controlling our online lives." Yet the legal basis for an antitrust action remains unclear, said Eric Goldman, director of the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University. "It remains to be seen if the (attorneys general) has any merit to their complaints or if they will be conducting a fishing expedition hoping to find some damning evidence," Goldman said. "Companies as large as Google or Facebook probably have minor problematic practices the AGs could target, but I'm still waiting for any evidence that would support more structural challenges to the internet giants' practices." 'More on Monday' A separate coalition of states was set to launch another antitrust initiative, with Google reportedly a target. The office of the Texas attorney general scheduled an event Monday in Washington with a "broad coalition of states" to unveil a probe into "whether large tech companies have engaged in anticompetitive behaviour that stifled competition, restricted access, and harmed consumers." Google spokesman Jose Castaneda said the company's services "help people every day, create more choice for consumers, and support thousands of jobs and small businesses across the country" and pledged to "work constructively with regulators." 'What's the remedy?' Maurice Stucke, a University of Tennessee law professor, said he expects one of the areas being investigated will be online advertising markets, which are dominated by Google and Facebook. "This is a great area to look at because the market has been criticized as being opaque," Stucke said. Stucke said the investigations may go further by looking at how tech platforms control data, potentially examining "the intersection between competition law and privacy." Amazon and Apple may also be in the crosshairs. Critics have complained that Amazon wields too much power in online retail and that Apple may disadvantage rivals offering services in its app store. In the European Union, Google has faced a series of antitrust actions and Amazon is now being targeted by enforcers. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has made a breakup of the big tech firms a part of her campaign platform. But some analysts say the case against the tech firms faces challenges because the companies have in many cases provided services for free and brought prices down, making it hard to prove they harmed "consumer welfare," a longstanding judicial precedent. Jessica Melugin of the Competitive Enterprise Institute said the state officials are stretching the limits of antitrust. "This sort of high-profile activism may benefit state AGs' political ambitions, but impose harmful costs on consumers, businesses, and the economy," she said in a statement. But Stucke said it would be wrong to view antitrust law as solely focused on consumer prices, and that it may be applied to questions of competition and innovation. The probes could end up with a variety of outcomes including fines, restrictions on conduct or a breakup, Stucke maintained. "You'd have to show how the remedy would address the concerns," he said.

Antitrust probe of Facebook may be first step against Big Tech

The Nasdaq plunged Monday as tech giants <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-preparing-antitrust-probe-of-google-report-223296">Alphabet/Google, Facebook and Amazon</a> suffered bruising losses on reports that US antitrust officials are stepping up oversight of Big Tech.

The Nasdaq Composite Index slumped 1.6 percent to 24,819.78, more than 10 percent below an all-time high just a month ago, a decline known as a "correction" in Wall Street parlance.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a gain of less than 0.1 per cent to finish at 24,819.78, while the broad-based S&amp;P 500 shed 0.3 per cent to settle at 2,744.45.

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission had agreed to coordinate antitrust enforcement over the biggest tech companies, with Justice taking the lead on Google and the FTC handling Facebook and some aspects of Amazon.

The report follows myriad controversies involving the companies and comes as some presidential candidates call for the giants to broken up.

Shares of Facebook plunged 7.5 per cent, Alphabet dropped 6.1 per cent and Amazon 4.6 per cent.&nbsp;

Other large technology companies also fell significantly, including Apple, Netflix, Salesforce and Microsoft.

The latest probes "could be the start of a new anti-monopoly push in the industry," said Gorilla Trades strategist Ken Berman.

The tech rout comes on the heels of a May equity sell-off as the US and China drifted further apart on trade and after US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on all imports from Mexican starting June 10.

US manufacturing industry activity slowed further in May in the wake of the latest exchange of US and Chinese tariffs, according to a survey by the Institute for Supply Management. The organization warned that the US tariffs on Mexico could significantly dent activity.

That, along with the retreat in US construction spending in March and April, were the latest in a series of worrisome signs about the health of the US expansion.

James Bullard, a voting member of the Federal Reserve's interest rate-setting committee, said in a speech on Monday that a rate cut "may be warranted soon" given uncertainty about trade conflicts and inflation well below the Fed's two per cent target.

Most Fed officials so far have repeated the central bank's mantra that they can remain patient before deciding on the next move.

The week's calendar also includes release of the much-anticipated US jobs report for May on Friday.

The Nasdaq plunged Monday as tech giants Alphabet/Google, Facebook and Amazon suffered bruising losses on reports that US antitrust officials are stepping up oversight of Big Tech.

The Nasdaq plunged Monday as tech giants Alphabet/Google, Facebook and Amazon suffered bruising losses on reports that US antitrust officials are stepping up oversight of Big Tech. The Nasdaq Composite Index slumped 1.6 percent to 24,819.78, more than 10 percent below an all-time high just a month ago, a decline known as a "correction" in Wall Street parlance. The Dow Jones Industrial Average eked out a gain of less than 0.1 per cent to finish at 24,819.78, while the broad-based S&P 500 shed 0.3 per cent to settle at 2,744.45. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission had agreed to coordinate antitrust enforcement over the biggest tech companies, with Justice taking the lead on Google and the FTC handling Facebook and some aspects of Amazon. The report follows myriad controversies involving the companies and comes as some presidential candidates call for the giants to broken up. Shares of Facebook plunged 7.5 per cent, Alphabet dropped 6.1 per cent and Amazon 4.6 per cent. Other large technology companies also fell significantly, including Apple, Netflix, Salesforce and Microsoft. The latest probes "could be the start of a new anti-monopoly push in the industry," said Gorilla Trades strategist Ken Berman. The tech rout comes on the heels of a May equity sell-off as the US and China drifted further apart on trade and after US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on all imports from Mexican starting June 10. US manufacturing industry activity slowed further in May in the wake of the latest exchange of US and Chinese tariffs, according to a survey by the Institute for Supply Management. The organization warned that the US tariffs on Mexico could significantly dent activity. That, along with the retreat in US construction spending in March and April, were the latest in a series of worrisome signs about the health of the US expansion. James Bullard, a voting member of the Federal Reserve's interest rate-setting committee, said in a speech on Monday that a rate cut "may be warranted soon" given uncertainty about trade conflicts and inflation well below the Fed's two per cent target. Most Fed officials so far have repeated the central bank's mantra that they can remain patient before deciding on the next move. The week's calendar also includes release of the much-anticipated US jobs report for May on Friday.

Alphabet, Facebook stocks dive over reports of US antitrust move against tech giants

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