Data and privacy could be competition concerns
The Justice Department’s top antitrust official warned tech giants on Friday that amassing vast quantities of consumers’ data could create competition concerns in the eyes of federal regulators, marking the U.S. government’s latest shot across the bow at Silicon Valley and its size.
Makan Delrahim, the chief of the department’s antitrust division, said people’s private information had become the lucrative “oil” for the digital age — and its misuse could threaten to harm consumers and corporate competitors.
While Delrahim did not mention any specific company by name, the comments could have vast implications at a moment when the agency is investigating tech giants including Google.
