Antitrust Probe on Apple and Google in Japan

The world’s leading smartphone maker Apple and search giant Google may now face difficulties in different countries. Apple may have to conduct more scrutiny of its business parties, as the Japanese government is said to be preparing another no-confidence check on both tech giants Apple and Google. This information was given in the media report. According to Apple Insider, antitrust investigations have also been an issue with other tech giants, including Apple and Google.

It seems Japan will soon investigate itself too, which could affect both the iPhone maker and the search giant. According to Nikkei sources in a report seen by Mercury News, a government panel will launch anti-distrust rules this month.

The panel will discuss Apple and Google’s dealings with Japanese smartphone producers, including whether they handle domestic companies appropriately compared to foreign vendors. According to the report, it is believed that iOS and Android are 90 percent stakeholders in the Japanese smartphone market. The alleged Japanese investigation will become the latest in a long line of similar activity by governments and regulators around the world, which will reduce the power of tech giants like Apple.

In Europe, Margrethe Westeager, head of the Antitrust Commission, said on June 10 that Apple should allow alternative app stores on its platform to lead to fair competition. In response to the Big Tech Business Practice in a US House Judiciary Committee report, US House lawmakers on June 11 also targeted tech companies, revealing an array of bills.

Away from governments, Apple has recently been dealing with the epic game’s trial, which calls for changes in in-app store policies, along with other elements. Other attempts are also being made for class action antitrust litigations.

Japan announced in June 2020 that it would team up with the United States and Europe to combat any market abuses perpetrated by the four Big Tech giants. This was interpreted as Tokyo joining global goals to regulate digital platform operators.

"If the size of any merger or business tie-up is significant, we could even launch an anti-monopoly inquiry into the buyer’s process of acquiring a start-up," said Kazuyuki Furuya, (Chairman ) Japan’s Fair-Trade Commission, at the time. "We are keeping a close eye on developments, even those in Europe."

Japan was seen as gearing up for platform operators to be regulated. Amongst them is the "GAFA" — Google, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook — tech behemoths facing various antitrust investigations in the Developed States.

Multinational corporations, such as GAFA, have similar business practices around the world, making global coordination critical.

"If the current regime has a policy priority, there was no doubt the FTC must consider what it does on this one," Furuya said in 2020.

"We have already been expressing our thoughts in the process by taking part in the state’s discourse on policy matters," he had added.

Apple as a company is clear about its stand on privacy and believed that it is a fundamental right, but after many allegations and lawsuits, it is becoming tougher to maintain privacy. The recent breach is allegedly happened because of the Trump Government in which Apple confirmed that because of political pressure, we have to give the mobile data of two Democratic Lawmakers.

Privacy in the digital world is hard to achieve, and majorly users are showcasing it to everybody on the internet, yes you can limit the access, but still, it is at stake by the data mining companies. In the future, data mining will be done on a higher level. Apple, Google, and Facebook are all facing pressure from governments of various countries.

Read Official Blog Post - https://mkcafee.co.uk/antitrust-probe-on-apple-and-google-in-japan

Rosy Martin is a creative person who has been writing blogs and articles about cybersecurity. She writes about the latest updates regarding office setup and how it can improve the work experience of users. She articles have been published in man