A new report from The Information says that Apple is “very likely” to face an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice in the United States. The report explains that the US DOJ has “accelerated” the antitrust probe into Apple, which it first opened back in 2019.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the report says that there has been a “flurry of activity on the investigation” since the summer. This includes a new rounds of subpoenas being sent to Apple’s business partners, additional DOJ staff being assigned to the probe, and more.
The DOJ probe is said to focus on a wide array of issues, with the broad focus being on Apple’s power as a technology market leader. Specific concerns raised in the report include App Tracking Transparency, Sign in with Apple, and the App Store. The DOJ is also looking into “complaints about how Apple places restrictions on location tracking that its own apps don’t have to follow.”
Finally, the report points out that Jonathan Kanter, the incoming head of the DOJ’s antitrust division, has previously represented opponents of Apple, including Spotify, Tile, Match, and Basecamp.
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