Lawmakers want FTC to come back to the front against Facebook
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers recently urged the Federal Trade Commission (FCC) to continue its legal action against Facebook.
In a letter to incoming FTC President Lina Khan, Senator Mike Lee and Representatives David Cicillin and Ken Buck wrote that the FTC should ” pursue enforcement action against Facebook and review all options available under the law to ensure that the commission’s complaints receive a full and fair hearing “.
New FTC leadership wants to strike hard against Facebook
As a reminder, the FTC previously filed a complaint against Facebook in December. This complaint asked the judge to force Facebook to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. However, District Judge James Boasberg of the District of Columbia rejected it on the grounds that the FTC had failed to provide evidence that Facebook had a monopoly. In addition, the cases of alleged anti-competitive behavior were too old.
Apparently, the new FTC leadership is planning to draft a larger complaint against Facebook. According to William Kovacic, a former FTC chairman, the new complaint could point to other allegations, including a potentially unfair competition method.
On the Facebook side, the social media giant simply reported strong growth in Instagram and WhatsApp under his leadership. He also added that he would vigorously fight the FTC in court.
