Antitrust

Antitrust is a growing issue in the context of the technology industry. Its an important part of the story of how technology companies interact with society and how their impact is managed and mitigated.

What does antitrust mean?

‘Antitrust’ refers to specific actions and legislation that are supposed to be designed to tackle the problems of monopolies and anticompetitive practices. The overall aim is to protect the interests of consumers, ensuring that organizations cannot assume such an extensive level of control over a market that it is able to manipulate it in ways that will promote its interests.

Antitrust in the context of the tech industry

Antitrust has always been an issue for industries that are controlled by a handful of companies. It was particularly important in managing the practices of heavy industries in the nineteenth century and telecommunications at the start of the twenty first century. Today, however, it is particularly important because of the way in which the largest technology companies in the world have built up monopolies on a number of different fronts including eCommerce, advertising, and publishing.

Antitrust news and analysis

Find the latest antitrust news and analysis below.