UK investigates Apple and Google's cloud gaming and browser monopoly

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97% of all mobile internet browsing in the UK took place on browsers using either Apple or Google technology in 2021
The UK's competition watchdog launched an in-depth investigation on November 22 into Apple and Google's dominance in the cloud gaming and mobile internet browser market.

The two Californian giants "have an effective netherlands mobile database over mobile ecosystems, which allows them to control operating systems, app stores and web browsers on mobile devices," the competition authority (CMA) noted.

Thus, 97% of all mobile internet browsing in the UK took place on browsers using either Apple or Google technology in 2021, the CMA said in a statement. The regulator will now conduct "a thorough investigation into how Apple and Google dominate the mobile browser market and how Apple restricts games" on its app portal.

The United Kingdom has "more than 800,000 users of cloud gaming services" and "restrictions on distribution on mobile devices could hinder the growth of this sector" and penalize players, according to the competition watchdog. The stakes are high: the CMA estimates the sector's weight in the British economy at "several billion pounds."

"Necessary restrictions"
At the same time, "Apple and Google argued that restrictions were necessary to protect users," according to the British authority, which specifies that its investigation "will take these concerns into account and determine whether new rules are necessary."

"We've helped millions of developers turn their brightest ideas into apps," in a sector that creates "hundreds of thousands of jobs in the UK alone," Apple said in a statement sent to AFP on Tuesday. Google responded by saying it was "committed to building open, thriving platforms that empower consumers and help developers build successful businesses."

Its Android platform "offers users a wider choice of apps and app stores than any other mobile platform," the group claimed. The CMA is conducting several investigations and proceedings in an attempt to limit the influence of GAFA (Google, Apple, Facebook, and Amazon) in the online technology market.

The European Commission and the US Competition Authority (FTC) and numerous US states have also launched investigations and prosecutions against GAFA.