Coalition Urges FTC to ‘Break Up Facebook’s Monopoly’
The FTC should “break up Facebook’s monopoly” by forcing the social network to divest Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, a new campaign argued Monday. The Open Markets Institute, Public Citizen, Demand Progress and Content Creators Coalition were among organizations signing onto…
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Freedom From Facebook. The campaign asks the FTC to “develop interoperability standards, so users will have the freedom to communicate between competing social networks” and to implement stronger privacy rules. The FTC "and other regulators and policy makers [should] confront the power of Facebook and the monopoly of online platforms," Demand Progress Executive Director David Segal said. The organization cited Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin calling for DOJ to investigate big tech concentration of ownership. A Facebook spokesman said people use it, Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger because they find them valuable: "We support smart privacy regulation and efforts that make it easier for people to take their data to competing services. But rather than wait, we’ve simplified our privacy controls and introduced new ways for people to access and delete their data, or to take their data with them.” The FTC didn't comment. Computer & Communications Industry Association CEO Ed Black said the campaign is “misguided political fervor that ignores the economic facts, lacks evidence of competitive harm, and purposes an extreme resolution that would harm consumers and reduce innovation.”