Google and Meta built their strength on data. Every search, click, and location feeds into profiles that drive advertising. The more data, the better the targeting, the greater the profit. That cycle keeps rivals out. For most users, there’s no real way to stop the collection or to see how their information is being used.
Privacy is only part of the story. Sensitive details such as health or household circumstances can be analysed and sold on. Courts in Europe and the UK have already found that users face invasive profiling they cannot avoid. Even those who refuse tracking discover that cookies, pixels, and hidden links in other apps still feed data back to the same firms.
Amnesty also points to how acquisitions have shaped the market. Google bought YouTube, Fitbit, and key ad networks. Meta absorbed Instagram and WhatsApp. Each deal cut down the space for competitors. Antitrust cases in the US and Europe continue to question whether those firms should be forced to give them up.
Microsoft has followed a different path. It tied Windows and Office to its cloud arm, Azure, and then folded artificial intelligence into that ecosystem. The design makes it costly for governments and companies to leave. European regulators have opened inquiries into whether this structure blocks fair competition.
Amazon’s reach is visible in e-commerce and in the cloud. It acts as a marketplace for independent sellers while also competing with them. Sellers pay steep fees for listings, logistics, and ads. Some say as much as half their revenue flows back to Amazon. Investigators on both sides of the Atlantic have examined whether the company steers shoppers toward its own products or towards sellers who pay for extra services.
Apple relies on a walled garden. Its devices and software are closely linked, and moving away from them is difficult. The App Store is the only official way to load apps, and developers pay commissions of up to 30 percent. Regulators in the US and Europe argue the system restricts choice and raises costs. Apple has also moved into health and payments. While it does not monetise health data for ads, Amnesty says the concentration of such sensitive information in one company still raises concerns.
Beyond competition, the report looks at broader rights. Data collection, on this scale, makes privacy protection impossible. In one case, a fertility app was found to have shared reproductive data with Google and Meta without users knowing. Penalties, when imposed, are often so small compared with company revenues that business continues unchanged.
Platforms also shape what people see. Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube promote content designed to spark reaction. That can mean the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and discriminatory material. In countries such as Myanmar and Ethiopia, these systems have been linked to serious violence.
Labour rights feature too. Amnesty notes repeated claims of poor working conditions in Amazon warehouses, with cases of withheld wages and close monitoring of staff. The group says the economic power of Big Tech gives these firms leverage to cut costs in ways that fall hardest on vulnerable workers.
The report also underlines the lobbying strength of the sector. Wealth and influence allow companies to push policies in their favour. Regulators have been slow to catch up, and fines or restrictions have rarely shifted behaviour.
Artificial intelligence is seen as the next front. Microsoft, Google, and Amazon control most of the global cloud infrastructure that supports AI. Their access to vast data and financial resources puts them in a strong position to dominate this field as well.
Amnesty concludes that reining in Big Tech is now a human rights issue, not just a question of competition. The group calls for stronger antitrust action, data portability rules, and interoperability between platforms. In some cases, it says, breaking up companies may be the only answer. Without firmer action, Amnesty warns, privacy will keep eroding and digital life will remain shaped by a small group of powerful firms.
Notes: This post was edited/created using GenAI tools. Image: DIW-Aigen.
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