MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Josh Kaul, along with a coalition of 43 attorneys general, are urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to develop new antitrust policies to enhance healthy market competition in on digital platforms.
“Wisconsinites use products from major tech companies like Facebook, Google, and Amazon on a daily basis. Federal and state authorities must work together to protect competition while ensuring that consumer data and privacy are not left by the wayside.” said Attorney General Kaul.
In their comments, the attorneys general pose several ideas for merger enforcement in technology markets, moving toward more enforcement and expanding the FTC’s recent initiatives to work closely with state attorneys general. The comments recommend that technology companies receive prior approval and/or make prior notice for future acquisitions.
The attorneys general also offer two potential legislative approaches: one adding duration-of-existence criteria to merger filing thresholds (to aid detection of anticompetitive acquisitions of nascent competition) and the next addressing transparency in the collection and sale of data, in order to facilitate an efficient and competitive market.
Attorney General Kaul is joined in filing these comments by the attorneys general of Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
A copy of the coalition’s comments can be read here.
https://www.doj.state.wi.us/news-releases/ag-kaul-coalition-advise-ftc-consumer-protection-digital-platforms
