Platform Regulation in the United States

Abstract The regulation of platforms in the United States has become a bipartisan political issue. But it is also a complex issue since all the major platforms apart from the ones located in China are of US origin. So, on the one hand and from a geo-political perspective, the United States simply has to protect its platforms and its operations in the rest of the world although, on the other hand, the US government has had to act in the context of global evidence of platform manipulations in elections and their anti-competitive behaviour. The chapter highlights ‘anti-trust’ actions against Big Tech in the United States along with contestations over ‘privacy’. It also highlights the contradictory stance on regulation taken by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). While the FTC is keen to promote competition and limit the power of Big Tech, it is yet to be seen whether any drastic steps will be taken to rein in or break up Big Tech as was done to Standard Oil and AT&T in the past.