The leaders of the four American digital giants who largely dominate the global Internet face American elected officials who are rebuffed against this omnipotence that escapes them: the decor is set, the dialogue remains uncertain. 

Sundar Pichai (Alphabet, parent company of Google), Tim Cook (Apple), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Jeff Bezos (Amazon), are heard by videoconference by the judicial committee of the House of Representatives in Washington, which has been investigating for a year on possible abuse of a dominant position. 

"They have too much power," said David Cicilline, chairman of the subcommittee on competition. And "they will certainly emerge [from the pandemic] even stronger and more powerful than before." 

"If Congress doesn't force Big Techs to be fair, which they should have done years ago, I will do it myself with executive orders," President Donald Trump threatened before the session began . 

The first questions from Democratic parliamentarians focused on practices they deem anti-competitive. 

"The evidence clearly shows that Google has become the portal to the Internet and is abusing its power. […] By ensuring, virtually, that any business that wants to be found online has to pay a tax to Google," said David Cicillin concluded after a series of questions to Sundar Pichai. 

Jerry Nadler, chairman of the commission, for his part attacked Mark Zuckerberg in the field of acquisitions, which "violate antitrust laws". 

"Facebook saw Instagram as a threat […], so […] they bought them up," he accused, while Mark Zuckerberg tried to argue that the app's success was not guaranteed to the time of its acquisition. 

"Hunt for conservatives" 

Google and Facebook capture the bulk of global digital advertising revenue from the personal data of their billions of users. 

Apple and Amazon, they are accused of being judge and party on their platforms, the app store for one and the e-commerce site for the other. 

As expected by many observers, with less than 100 election days, the questions of elected Republican officials and some Democrats quickly drifted on social networks and their relationship to freedom of expression. 

"The Big Techs have opened up the hunt for conservatives and that's a fact," said Jim Jordan, one of Donald Trump's close allies, listing examples of attempts, in his opinion, to silence Republicans on platforms. 

"Proudly American" companies

Combined, GAFAs are worth around $ 4.780 billion on the stock market. They have greatly contributed to American growth and allow the country to dominate the global Internet, from communication to e-commerce. 

But their hold on data, the engine of the digital economy, worries about respect for competition and also for privacy, especially since the scandals of foreign interference in the 2016 elections. 

The bosses were able to put forward their arguments especially during the introductory remarks, the parliamentarians leaving them little time to speak during the question and answer session. All appeal to the patriotic fiber of elected officials.  

Their companies, "proudly American", according to Mark Zuckerberg, owe their success to the values ​​and laws of the country - democracy, freedom, innovation, etc. 

"There are no guarantees that our values ​​will win. China, for example, is building its own version of the Internet on very different ideas, and exports this vision to other countries," insists the young billionaire. 

The GAFA also highlight their investments, job creation in the United States, and ensure to promote competition and face fierce competition. 

The judicial commission has been investigating possible abuses of a dominant position for months, but the hearing is unlikely to have major consequences, if not to prepare new, more restrictive laws to regulate digital platforms.  

Jeff Bezos, spared by parliamentarians at the start of the session, nevertheless warned them about his personal philosophy. "When you look in the mirror, assess the reviews, and still think you made the right decisions, no force in the world should be able to make you change." 

With AFP

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