High-tech can't develop under hawkish rules and regulations

The United States House of Representative has decided to launch antitrust investigations against some high-tech companies including Google, Apple and Amazon, which have been accused of illegal and abusive practices. But since any probe against these companies, which enjoy unparalleled power and influence in the telecom and internet fields worldwide, could affect the development of the digital economy, the US House' decision has aroused concern.

Given the differences in traditional manufacturing and service industries, the investigation is seen as a test for not only telecom service providers' behavior but also the effectiveness of US laws and regulations related to the digital economy.

The US' leading high-tech companies have played a key role in developing the global digital economy. They have even set the rules for competition in various sectors including social media, e-commerce, mobile payment and artificial intelligence. Although these industry giants compete with each other in different fields, which has possibly prevented monopolies from being formed, there is no denying that they have created barriers to competition, especially for new market players.