U.S. Justice Department escalates Apple probe

The U.S. Justice Department probe will look at whether Apple's mobile operating system, iOS, is anti-competitive

The U.S. Justice Department has in recent months escalated its long-running antitrust probe on Apple Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Reuters previously reported the Justice Department opened an antitrust probe into Apple in 2019 to review whether technology giants were using their size to act in an anti-competitive manner.

The Wall Street Journal report said the department has now assigned more litigators, while new requests for documents and consultations have been made with all the companies involved.

The probe will also look at whether Apple's mobile operating system, iOS, is anti-competitive, favouring its own products over those of outside developers, the report added.

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The Justice Department declined to comment, while Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Last month, the Justice Department sued Alphabet Inc.'s Google, accusing it of abusing its dominance in digital advertising, threatening to dismantle a key business at the heart of one of Silicon Valley's most successful internet companies.