Mark Zuckerberg testified before the FTC as part of its Facebook antitrust probe
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the Federal Trade Commission this week as part of the regulator’s ongoing antitrust investigation into the company, according to a new report from Politico Thursday.
The FTC has been investigating Facebook for potential violations of US antitrust law for at least a year. Facebook announced in July 2019 that the agency had launched a probe into the company as part of its quarterly earnings disclosures. According to Politico, that investigation is still ongoing, and Zuckerberg testified under oath over the course of two days this week as part of the probe.
“We are committed to cooperating with the US Federal Trade Commission’s inquiry and answering the questions the Agency may have,” a Facebook Company spokesperson told The Verge Thursday. The FTC declined to comment.
Facebook is under several antitrust investigations outside of the FTC’s. Last September, a coalition of state attorneys general, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, opened an investigation into the social media company. Since last July, the House Judiciary Committee has been investigating big tech companies, including Facebook. Just last month, that House panel held a hearing where Zuckerberg testified, along with the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, and Google.
In 2019, the FTC fined Facebook $5 billion as a result of a years-long investigation into the company’s relationship with the political analytics firm Cambridge Analytica and other privacy breaches.
Throughout that hearing, Zuckerberg faced tough questions about Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) dug into Zuckerberg over text messages the committee obtained that suggested he threatened to copy Instagram as a new Facebook product if the photo-sharing app’s co-founder Kevin Systrom didn’t agree to sell it to the social media giant.
“When the dominant platform threatens its potential rivals, that should not be a normal business practice,” said Jayapal said during July’s hearing.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the Federal Trade Commission this week as part of the regulator’s ongoing antitrust investigation into the company, according to a new report from Politico Thursday. The FTC has been investigating Facebook for potential violations of US antitrust law for at least a year. Facebook…
Recent Posts
- The Delta Emulator is changing its logo after Adobe threatened it
- This devious Wi-Fi security flaw could let hackers eavesdrop on your network with ease
- The Tom’s Guide Awards are coming soon – here’s how to submit your products
- ‘iPhone 17 Slim’ rumors point to a redesigned model in 2025
- The OpenAI team tasked with protecting humanity is no more
Archives
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011