WASHINGTON—Heritage Foundation Tech Policy Center Director Kara Frederick released the following statement in response to news that the U.S. Department of Justice is taking legal action against Apple Inc. for its anti-competitive abuses. 

Frederick emphasized the importance of restoring competition to the marketplace:  

“From censoring conservative-aligned applications to acquiescing to the Chinese Communist Party’s demands, Apple has proven that its commitment to the free market is hollow. 

 

“The Tech Policy Center applauds today’s attempt to hold Big Tech accountable for its anti-competitive conduct. In 2022, Heritage published a roadmap to rein in Big Tech that recommended the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division increase its scrutiny of Big Tech firms that engage in such practices. Apple continues to abuse its gatekeeper status, extracting a 30% commission on in-app purchases while forcing iPhone users to download new apps through its own app store, among other monopolistic behaviors. 

 

“What should trouble conservatives most is that when Big Tech firms warp the free market in this way, it often comes at the expense of the true engines of American innovation—new entrants, smaller competitors, and startups. 

 

“Additionally, Apple’s dependence on Chinese engineering, manufacturing, and customers leaves the company at the mercy of CCP demands. Apple is certainly not an American national champion. Its anticompetitive conduct only highlights that the company is no friend to the everyday American consumer.”