Washington (AFP)
It could be the end of super platforms as we know them: the US Congress is about to vote on a major reform of the tech giants, the size of which to transform the internet and shake the foundations of the largest American companies.
A committee is due to vote Wednesday on five laws that pave the way for potential dismantling of Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon.
If approved and come into effect, companies will no longer have the right to operate platforms for third-party companies while offering competing services.
A potential major blow for Apple and Amazon, which have been criticized for years for being both judges and parties on the App Store (the iPhone manufacturer's application store) and the online sales site, respectively.
Elected officials are also seeking to prevent Silicon Valley from prioritizing its products - with Google in the crosshairs.
Another measure would impose the "portability" of data and the "interoperability" of services.
Facebook users could then more easily leave the social network, taking their contacts and personal information with them.
This reform will also prohibit the Gafa and other technological giants from acquiring competitors, and will provide the agencies responsible for enforcing competition law with better financial resources.
"It's no longer antitrust, it's regulation," said Fiona Scott Morton, professor at Yale University.
According to this former executive of the American administration, this desire to upset the industry comes from the failure of the authorities, in the United States and elsewhere, to control firms that have become ultra dominant.
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After years of Europe leading the offensive, Washington has joined in.
Lawsuits have been launched in recent months, in particular against Google and Facebook, for abuse of dominant position.
Many investigations are still ongoing.
President Joe Biden has appointed several anti-monopoly figures to major positions, including lawyer Lina Khan, recently confirmed as head of the US competition authority (FTC).
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The judicial committee of the House of Representatives, with a Democratic majority, is due to vote on this series of laws on Wednesday.
They are also supported by Republicans, a good omen for the vote in the House.
Their fate in the Senate is less guaranteed.
This reform would force the platforms "to operate like airlines, or gas and electricity, which must provide their services to anyone who wants them, without giving privileges to anyone, including themselves", analyzes Christopher Sagers, a specialist in competition law and professor at Cleveland State University.
According to him, this radical approach "could put an end to very popular products".
"I do not see how Apple will be able to continue to market its own mobile applications, for example, if its devices or the App Store were considered as platforms," he notes.
But "the markets are reorganizing and new companies are emerging".
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Other experts are more worried about the largely unpredictable consequences of these attacks on prosperous groups, which contribute significantly to the economy of the United States and are used daily by hundreds of millions of people.
"In general, the experience of the average consumer would be seriously degraded," said Iain Murray, of the Competitive Enterprise Institute think tank, in a statement.
If these laws come into force, he believes that Apple should close its App Store, sell "blank phones" without any app, or completely separate from its iPhone division.
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The "Information Technology and Innovation Foundation", which generally reflects the views of the industry, sees in this attempt by elected officials a true copy of the draft regulation on digital markets (DMA), the regulatory plan of the European Union .
This will "distort" the competition, and "consumers will no longer benefit from the economies of scale achieved by large companies," said Aurelien Portuese, an expert of this organization, in a press release.
These legislative proposals "reveal a profound lack of understanding of the tech sector, and its needs to function and remain competitive, adapted, profitable and innovative", abounds the analyst Olivier Blanchard of Futurum Research in a blog post.
"Do the Gafa have too much power? It is defended," he continues.
"But if the goal is to control large and powerful corporations, Congress should tackle the problem by putting in place safeguards that protect consumers and competition without demolishing the whole system."
© 2021 AFP