US government wants antitrust investigation into major tech companies

The US White House appears to be planning a major investigation into tech companies to determine whether they have violated antitrust law. This probably concerns companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook.

This is evident from a so-called executive order that should be signed by President Donald Trump, and which has come into the hands of Bloomberg. The document states that authorities in the United States are being instructed to investigate online platforms and whether they may have violated antitrust laws. This should show whether competition may have been hindered, and whether the online platform in question has a certain bias. The investigation should begin within a month of signing the executive order.

The companies involved are not mentioned by name, but it is likely that they are major social networks, such as those of Google, Twitter and Facebook. President Trump has in the past lashed out at these companies because he believes they are biased and censor certain beliefs. He also stated at the time that the companies may need to be regulated.

In response, the White House confirmed the executive order’s existence, but noted that it is an early draft that has not yet been reviewed by various US government agencies. In addition, a spokesperson said that the document “is not part of official policy making”, so it is still unclear whether it will actually be signed by Trump.