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Tech giants unite to oppose Indian antitrust laws

A lobbying group representing tech giants Google, Amazon, and Apple has asked India to reconsider proposed EU-style competition laws. The group argues that laws restricting data processing and the preference for partnerships may increase user costs. This is what appears in the paper.

Citing the growing dominance of several large digital companies in the Indian market, a government commission in February proposed liability under new antitrust laws that would complement existing laws, which the group said implementation "Takes Time."

India's "Digital Competition Bill" is in line with the EU's landmark Digital Markets Act 2022. It covers large organizations with a global turnover of more than $30 billion and at least 10 million local users of digital services. Some of the biggest tech firms in the world are at its disposal.

It proposes to prohibit companies from using non-public user data to promote their services over rivals and to cut restrictions on the download of third-party applications about the character.

Companies are using these techniques to develop new products and enhance consumer safety, and the Department of Labor, which is working on the rules, said in a May 15 letter to U.S. Commerce Group v. U.S. Council on Commerce (USIBC) that control over them will affect their systems.

Indian Antitrust Law is "significantly broader" than the EU's, according to the document, which has not been made public but has been seen by Reuters.

"Targeted companies are likely to reduce investment in India, pass on increased prices for digital services, and reduce the range of services," it says.

The USIBC, which has asked India to reconsider the planned law, did not respond to Reuters queries, and neither did the Corporate Affairs Ministry, Apple, Amazon, or Google.

With a population of 1.4 billion people and a growing affluent class, India is a lucrative market for big tech firms. Apple CEO Tim Cook said this month the company posted a "revenue record" in India during the March quarter when its overall global revenue declined 4 percent.

Conclusion:
Big Tech and the Indian government's over-proposed antitrust legislation mark a pivotal moment in the country’s digital landscape. Tech giants such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, and Apple are uniting in opposition.