On Friday, The New York Times reported that the Department of Justice is nearing an announcement on its investigation into Apple’s ongoing and persistent monopolistic behaviors to protect the company’s walled garden.

The following statement can be attributed to George Rakis, Executive Director for NextGen Competition (nextgencomp.tech):

Apple’s “walled garden,” a term that intentionally minimizes the company’s monopolistic and anti-consumer practices, has helped the company consolidate market power over its rivals while evading greater antitrust scrutiny. Alarmingly, the combination of Apple’s market power and its marketing has deceived customers into accepting the increasingly restrictive confines of Apple’s ecosystem. This must end.

The harsh reality is that this has come at an enormous cost to consumers. Numerous apps and accessories have been cannibalized by Apple, harming innovation and leaving consumers with fewer choices. Apple’s ecosystem has created a world of haves and have-nots as evidenced in the senseless war over blue and green bubbles, and that is just the tip of the iceberg. We applaud the DOJ for taking action against this Big Tech titan and urge the Department to exercise the full extent of its power to expose and end Apple’s monopoly.

It is past time that regulators challenged the company, and we eagerly await the conclusion of the DOJ’s investigation.

About NextGen Competition

Our mission is to support a robust and competitive technology ecosystem by opposing anti-competitive business practices and promoting greater industry accountability. Specifically, we oppose consolidation in the industry that undermines worker protections and employer accountability, threatens data privacy and security, encourages market concentration, and limits consumer choice. NextGen Competition intends to work with a broad coalition of unions and public interest partners as it seeks to oppose anti-competitive business practices.