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Australian watchdog to examine competition between Apple, Google app stores

- Australias competition regulator on Tuesday said it would look into the extent of competition between the app stores of Apple Inc and Google, and also examine whether more pricing transparency is needed in the countrys mobile apps market.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is interested in how data is used and shared in the app ecosystem, including the data available to Google and Apple as a result of their control of the major app stores, Deputy Chair Delia Rickard said in a statement.

Regulators Down Under have been among the most aggressive in trying to rein in the reach of U.S tech giants, with Australia set to become the first country to make Facebook Inc and Alphabet Incs Google pay for news sourced from local providers.

The commissions decision also comes amid Apples legal tussle with Epic Games, after the Fortnite creator implemented a feature to let iPhone users make in-app purchases directly, rather than using Apples in-app purchase system.

Original article
Author: Reuters Staff

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