Australia’s competition watchdog opened an inquiry into the widening reach of services from large digital platform providers, releasing an issues report raising questions about the companies’ impact.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) stated it will examine the expanding ecosystem of platform companies including Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft as part of a five-year investigation.
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It noted the companies are investing across a variety of “sectors and technologies, creating a web of interconnected products and services”.
With consumers and businesses increasingly reliant on their products and services, ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said it is crucial to “examine how these companies are expanding their reach”.
The agency also called for submissions about the companies’ investment decisions and how their products and services within each ecosystem are interconnected.
