House calls on Tim Cook to testify in antitrust probe

Subpoenas could be used if companies don't comply...

What you need to know

• A House judiciary committee is probing competition in tech.
• It wants Tim Cook and other big tech CEOs to testify.
• There are reports that subpoenas could be used if companies don't comply.

Tim Cook and other big tech CEOs are being called on to testify in a House antitrust probe into competition in tech.

As reported by Axios:

House antitrust investigators are pressing Apple, Alphabet, Amazon, and Facebook to say by Sunday whether their CEOs will testify as part of the Judiciary Committee's tech competition probe, Axios has learned.

Axios says it has seen letters sent by the Judiciary Committee this week to companies, asking for both documents and answers to whether their CEOs will testify at a hearing next month.

According to the report, the letter mentions that subpoenas may be used to force testimony and the handing over of documents if companies don't agree. Subcommittee chairman David Cicilline said in a statement that ""These are documents that are essential to complete our ongoing, bipartisan investigation of the digital marketplace. This is the appropriate process to secure their production."

Documents requested include "materials companies have produced in response to other competition probes and internal communications" and questions cover issues regarding "possible competitive harms."

The probe is not a mission to find any kind of criminal activity or to sanction companies, but rather to produce a report on findings and to make recommendations regarding changes to antitrust laws to prevent such issues in the future.

Accessory-maker Tile has previously testified against Apple regarding antitrust practices. Tile has accused Apple of working against the company by making it more difficult for users to engage with its accessories through iOS, in particular in light of rumors Apple may be launching a rival AirTags tracking device.

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