Spotify could break away from Google and Apple’s payment duopoly: Google’s alternative payments pilot program might only serve higher-profile apps, leaving smaller developers in the lurch.

Biden Administration prepares to promote innovation through tighter regulation: The DOJ’s support for antitrust bill could level the playing field for smaller firms but risks putting Big Tech on the defensive.

A new bill targets acquisitions, but could struggle to get passed: Democrats are backing an antitrust measure that would let them block mergers of over $5 billion.

Chamber aligns with Big Tech: The largest US lobbying group is going against the FTC as Big Tech’s new enforcer. Its involvement could make it harder for the government to enforce antitrust laws.

Google’s EU antitrust woes multiply: Sweden’s PriceRunner sues Google for skewing search results toward its own shopping service. The move could prompt more legal action from European shopping services.

Intel scores rare antitrust win against European Commission: Regulators criticized for failing to provide sufficient evidence in $1.2B case. Ruling could serve as a rallying point for other Big Tech companies battling antitrust suits.

Google’s plan to deprecate third-party cookies is opposed by Germany’s largest publishers: The fight illustrates the tension between the overlapping priorities of antitrust concerns and privacy protections.

Facebook is back in the FTC’s sights: The social media giant’s acquisition strategy is under scrutiny as the next wave of antitrust legislation rears its head.

Big Tech and government regulators set to clash over new merger guidelines: Industry lobbying and legal delays could outlast current crop of antitrust crusaders.

Did Google pay Apple to stay out of the search game? A new lawsuit claims so: Antitrust scrutiny heats up on Big Tech ballooning unchecked into trillion-dollar firms.

UK regulators prune Meta’s walled garden: Meta has been ordered to sell Giphy, and new ownership could bring back the GIF database’s popular ad program, without the antitrust concerns.

Google’s $2.8 billion EU antitrust fine is the latest in a wave of action against Big Tech: The search giant and other major tech firms face criticism across the globe for anti-competitive search practices, and new regulation could forever change their hold on digital markets.

The company could reveal a new overarching brand name as soon as next week and follow in the footsteps of Alphabet.

At a congressional antitrust hearing in 2020, then-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said although Amazon has a policy against using “seller-specific data” to help its own-brand businesses, he could not guarantee that policy had not been violated, per Insider. The SEC can impose fines and various actions if it finds Amazon failed to disclose business practices to its investors.

Regulators slapped an RMB18.23 billion ($2.83 billion) fine on the company in April 2021 after an antitrust investigation determined that Alibaba wielded its market position to hurt both merchants and consumers. Alibaba also missed out on a huge potential payday last year after new regulations forced Ant Group, which it owns a 33% stake in, to withdraw its plans for an IPO.

The hits keep coming: These developments follow a January ruling by a federal judge allowing the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust lawsuit against Meta to move forward. With antitrust concerns looming, it’s unlikely Meta can make acquisitions to shore up its slowing advertising business.

Not only are regulators on high alert for antitrust deals, they act decisively. The UK’s CMA quickly swooped down on Meta’s acquisition of Giphy and ordered it to sell the GIF search engine.