Britain has this week added its voice to the global backlash against the growing power of technology companies, as a British government report released on Wednesday affirmed that Big Tech is reducing consumer choice and harming innovation. The 150 page report said the country needed stricter rules on acquisitions in the technology industry and stronger oversight to make sure that new rivals cannot be squashed. Jason Furman, a professor of economic policy at Harvard and former economic advisor to President Barack Obama led the group behind the report, and he said that addressing insufficient competition in the tech industry “is one of the most important economic policy questions” in the world today. Democratic presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren last week called for breaking up the largest tech companies, and Senator Amy Klobuchar, another Democrat making a White House bid, has proposed taxes and antitrust laws against the industry. Other countries in Europe have taken stands as well. France has proposed taxes on technology companies, while Germany passed a law against online hate speech.

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