When you want to look something up online, chances are you use Google. Want to do some online shopping? You probably visit Amazon. Browsing social media or messaging your friends? It’s likely you’re on Facebook or one of the other platforms it owns, Instagram or WhatsApp.
For many people, this technology has made it easier than ever before to connect with friends and family, find information, or purchase just about anything with the click of a button. But now these tech companies are coming under fire from government officials for becoming so dominant.
In October, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a landmark lawsuit accusing Google of illegally maintaining a monopoly over internet searches (see “What’s a Monopoly?,” below). Two months later, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which enforces antitrust laws, and more than 40 states accused Facebook of becoming a social media monopoly. The FTC is also investigating whether Amazon has an illegal monopoly over online shopping, and the DOJ is looking into whether Apple possesses a monopoly on phone apps through its app store.
The tech giants have long denied any wrongdoing. And it will likely be years before the lawsuits and investigations are resolved. But legal experts say they signal a new era of increased backlash against the tech industry for having what many people see as too much influence over us. And they could eventually lead to the breakup of some of the biggest companies in the world, perhaps changing the internet—and our lives—forever.
“People might enjoy using the tech platforms,” says Hal Singer, a senior fellow at George Washington University’s Institute of Public Policy. “But they are also asking, ‘What kind of society do we want?’”
Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1995 in a garage in Bellevue, Washington, as an online bookstore. Google was created in 1998 in a garage in the suburbs of San Francisco by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Ph.D. students at Stanford University, as a revolutionary tool to sift through the countless websites online. And Facebook was conceived in 2004 in a dorm room at Harvard University by Mark Zuckerberg and other students as a way for classmates to connect with one another.
But from their modest beginnings, these companies have grown into some of the world’s most dominant businesses—multibillion-dollar corporations that now have their footprints in seemingly every facet of our lives (see “How Big Tech Took Over,” below).
When you want to look something up online, chances are you use Google. Want to do some online shopping? You probably visit Amazon. Browsing social media or messaging your friends? It’s likely you’re on Facebook or one of the other platforms it owns, Instagram or WhatsApp.
For many people, this technology has made life easier. We use it to stay connected with friends and family. It’s also been a useful tool for finding information. And it’s enabled people to buy just about anything with the click of a button. But now these tech companies are coming under fire from government officials for becoming so dominant.
In October, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a landmark lawsuit against Google. It accused the tech company of illegally maintaining a monopoly over internet searches. (see “What’s a Monopoly?,” below). Two months later, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which enforces antitrust laws, made a similar move. It and more than 40 states accused Facebook of becoming a social media monopoly. The FTC is also investigating whether Amazon has an illegal monopoly over online shopping. And the DOJ is looking into whether Apple has a monopoly on phone apps through its app store.
The tech giants have long denied any wrongdoing. And it will likely be years before the lawsuits and investigations are resolved. But legal experts say they signal a new era of increased backlash against the tech industry for having what many people see as too much influence over us. These cases could eventually lead to the breakup of some of the biggest companies in the world. If they do, that might change the internet and our lives forever.
“People might enjoy using the tech platforms,” says Hal Singer, a senior fellow at George Washington University’s Institute of Public Policy. “But they are also asking, ‘What kind of society do we want?’”
Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos in 1995 in a garage in Bellevue, Washington. Back then, it was simply an online bookstore. Google was created in 1998 in a garage in the suburbs of San Francisco by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Ph.D. students at Stanford University. The tool allowed users to quickly search through the countless websites online. At the time, it was revolutionary. And Facebook was conceived in 2004 in a dorm room at Harvard University by Mark Zuckerberg and other students. They saw it as a way for classmates to connect with one another.
But from their modest beginnings, these companies have grown into some of the world’s most dominant businesses. They’re now multibillion-dollar corporations. And they seem to have their footprints in almost every part of our lives. (see “How Big Tech Took Over,” below).