Executives from four of the US' largest tech companies, namely Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google, were grilled by House lawmakers this week as part of the House Judiciary Committee's latest probe into their business practices.
The antitrust hearing, which kicked off on Tuesday, saw lawmakers question executives on the scope of their businesses and the possible threats they pose to competition and innovation.
The event was aimed at publicly showing the companies' practices and to imprint on them the government's frustration over their apparent lapses.
Executives that attended the hearing included Google's director of economic policy, Adam Cohen, Facebook's head of global policy development, Matt Perault, Amazon's associate general counsel of competition, Nate Sutton, and Apple's vice president of corporate law, Kyle Andeer.
The chairman of the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, Rep. David Cicilline, told executives that their companies have continued to make the internet "less open" and "hostile" to entrepreneurship and innovation.
The lawmaker was referring to how the companies have time and time again swallowed competition and prevented newcomers from succeeding.
Executives from all four companies disagreed with Cecilline's assessment and argued that their companies actually face stiff competition on the internet.
The executives added that the products and platforms they offer actually spur innovation and allow other businesses to succeed.
The hearing comes just a month after federal regulators expressed their intention of launching separate probes on Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon for their alleged unfair business practices.
The House Judiciary Committee revealed last month that they would be launching an antitrust investigation on Silicon Valley, stating that these companies have been left with unregulated and extraordinary power over commerce, information, and communications on the internet for far too long. The investigation also aims to determine whether or not these companies have monopolized their respective markets.
The country's tech giants continue to be the target of lawmakers and politicians, with both Democrats and Republicans agreeing with each other on the apparent threat of big tech. US President Donald Trump is also very open with his criticism on big tech companies.
Last week, the president mentioned that the government should file a lawsuit against Google and Facebook on antitrust grounds. Several Democratic candidates for the country's presidency have echoed similar concerns over the unregulated power of big tech firms.
As part of her platform, Senator Elizabeth Warren called for the breakup of major tech firms, stating the dangers of the power the industry wields on the country as a whole. The presidential candidate has pledged to impose stricter control on big tech if she is elected president.
