The Federal Trade Commission has launched a task force specifically devoted to monitoring competition in the technology industry.
The new task force will investigate any "potential anticompetitive conduct" in technology markets, and take enforcement action when warranted, the FTC said on Tuesday. In addition, the task force can examine prospective and closed mergers in the industry.
The commission didn't say what prompted it to start the task force. But in a statement, the agency's competition bureau director Bruce Hoffman said the technology market has been challenging to enforce, given how it's rapidly evolving and expanding into new business sectors.
"By centralizing our expertise and attention, the new task force will be able to focus on these markets exclusively—ensuring they are operating pursuant to the antitrust laws, and taking action where they are not," he added.
The move comes as critics, including activist groups, technology executives and lawmakers, have been calling for more regulation of the tech industry, with much of the concern leveled at Facebook.
The FTC is reportedly already focused on penalizing Facebook with a multi-billion fine for mishandling users' private data. But the new task force could create more regulatory trouble for the social network, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp and plans on merging its messaging platforms.
Google and Amazon are two other big tech giants the task force will likely end up scrutinizing, given their reach over the internet's ecosystem. The FTC is staffing the task force with about 17 attorneys, some of whom will have expertise in online advertising, social networking, mobile operating systems, apps and platform businesses, the commission said.