GAFA is a common abbreviation for the digital giants Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon.
With the investigation against Apple, all four are now in the sights of the Federal Cartel Office.
Bonn (dpa) - The Federal Cartel Office is now using its new options for proceeding against large digital platforms for investigations against Apple.
"We will now check whether Apple has built a digital ecosystem around the iPhone with the proprietary iOS operating system over several markets," announced the Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt.
With the reform of the Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB) in January, the Cartel Office can more easily take action against large digital companies that are important to competition across borders between different market areas.
The authority is already examining Facebook, Amazon and Google on this basis.
"We look forward to discussing our approach with the Federal Cartel Office and conducting an open dialogue about all concerns," said Apple in a response to the investigation.
The group is "proud to be an engine for innovation and jobs".
The iOS platform alone supports more than 250,000 workplaces in Germany.
The Bundeskartellamt points out that in addition to iPhones, Apple also offers tablets, computers and portable devices such as a computer clock as well as various services including music and video streaming.
"One focus of the investigation will be on the operation of the app store, as it enables Apple in many ways to influence the business activities of third parties," emphasized Mundt.
Apple's app store system is already being investigated by the EU Commission, which accuses the group of unfair competition with other providers of music streaming services.
Among other things, the focus is on the tax of 15 to 30 percent on digital revenues generated in the App Store.
The Cartel Office also announced further investigations against Apple after complaints about "potentially anti-competitive practices" in prospect. On the one hand, Apple gave users the option in the spring of banning app developers from tracking their activities across different apps and services. On the other hand, the pre-installation of only own apps is denounced in complaints as a possible self-preference.
The Cartel Office is also examining Google, Facebook and Amazon to determine whether they are of cross-market significance for competition. In the case of Google, for example, this comes into consideration "due to the large number of digital services such as the search engine, YouTube, Maps, the Android operating system or the Chrome browser," it said when the proceedings against the Internet company were initiated at the end of May. At Amazon, the Cartel Office sees the possible cross-market role in the various online marketplaces and digital offers.
Facebook has been examining the cartel office for the new regulations since January.
This expanded the investigation into linking user accounts of the subsidiary Oculus with Facebook.
Oculus is in the business of virtual reality, where users can immerse themselves in digital worlds with special glasses.
In view of the investigation by the Cartel Office, Oculus has still not brought the new Quest 2 VR glasses onto the market in Germany.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210621-99-81805 / 3