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Big Tech in the Crosshairs: Antitrust Cases Sweep Across US Courts

By  |  September 3, 2025

A U.S. judge has ordered Google to provide its search data to competitors, marking one of several ongoing legal challenges against major technology firms in the United States. The ruling is part of broader efforts by antitrust regulators to rein in the market power of companies including Google’s parent Alphabet, Meta Platforms, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Nvidia, according to Reuters.

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    In the Washington case, the court barred Google from entering exclusive agreements that would block rival products from being preinstalled on devices. However, the judge declined to force the company to sell off its Chrome browser or Android operating system. Google has already brought in a former Obama administration official to represent it in an appeals process expected to take years, per Reuters. While the company may not have to comply until the appeal concludes, it has already begun loosening restrictions with device makers and carriers, while Apple has announced it will expand search options powered by artificial intelligence.

    Google also faces a separate trial scheduled for September in Alexandria, Virginia, which will determine whether it must divest part of its online advertising technology business. Regulators allege the company maintained two illegal monopolies in the digital ad sector. Google has vowed to appeal.

    Read more: Big Tech Faces Dutch Scrutiny Under EU Digital Services Act Before Vote

    Meta Platforms, meanwhile, is in the middle of an antitrust case targeting its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) argues the purchases were meant to eliminate competition, citing internal emails as evidence. Meta contends the case is flawed because it ignores rivals such as TikTok and YouTube. A ruling is not expected until late 2025.

    Amazon is also under fire, facing a trial in February 2027 over claims that it manipulated prices in its online marketplace. The FTC alleges the company’s practices inflated costs for American households by more than $1 billion. Amazon has said it discontinued the contested pricing algorithm in 2019 and has denied wrongdoing.

    Apple is battling a lawsuit from the Justice Department and several states, which accuse the company of locking in iPhone users by limiting the functionality of apps and third-party devices. A judge rejected Apple’s motion to dismiss the case earlier this year, but a trial date has not been set. Legal deadlines extend into 2027.

    Other tech giants are also facing scrutiny. Microsoft is being probed by the FTC over allegations it used restrictive licensing terms to hinder competition in cloud and productivity software, though no lawsuit has yet been filed. Nvidia, whose chips dominate the artificial intelligence sector, is under investigation by the Justice Department, but regulators have not brought a case.

    These cases underscore the intensifying scrutiny of Big Tech’s business practices.

    Source: Reuters