Tech cos offer defence in antitrust probe

Cos have seen their reputations tarnished by privacy lapses and allegations of abuse of dominance

video and internet browsers.

It said “the vast majority” of clicks following a Google search go to nonGoogle websites, that results from its YouTube offering are not given greater weight than rivals’, and that its word

processing and analytics tools are designed to work well with all browsers, not just its Chrome.

Google also said its “vertical integration” of advertising tools benefits advertisers in part through better consumer targeting, but that the ability of

rivals to compete is not “meaningfully affected” because it takes steps to level the playing field.

Despite its huge collection of data on search queries and clicks, Google said it could not provide much of the data sought by the committee. For example,

asked whether it could share how many searches display location information about a business, Google said, “We do not have a standard definition for what searches are considered ‘location searches’ and thus, cannot provide the specific information requested.” For its part, Facebook acknowledged cutting off certain thirdparty apps from its developer platform for replicating core functionalities, such as Twitter’s now-shuttered Vine, which it said replicated a Facebook product.

But it provided limited answers to other questions on the company’s handling of prospective competitors. For example, asked for the timing and “exact circumstances” that led it to remove apps Photo, MessageMe, Voxer and Stackla, Facebook replied that it “will restrict apps that violate its policies,” without disclosing details.

On a related note, Senators Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, and Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, wrote to Facebook Tuesday to ask how the social media giant acquires users’ locations, why locations are collected and if collection occurs when users have asked that it not be.

Apple answered questions about its browser and commissions it pays in its App Store, and addressed other issues, most of which are generally known. It said exactly two employees had sought to take disputes to arbitration. But asked how much it had spent on its map app that competes with Google, it said only “billions.”