FTC Prepared To Break Up Big Tech

[longknife]

Oh boy will that cause an uproar.


And the lawyers are already salivating. They can just guess at how much richer they’ll get from all the lawsuits.

The Federal Trade Commission chairman said he is prepared to break up big tech if his agency finds that the companies have been hurting competition.

Chairman Joe Simons is leading the FTC’s review of technology companies, like Google and Facebook, and said that even though breaking up big tech would be difficult, it might be necessary.


Notice that nothing is said about blocking certain – conservative – content.


They did say this;

The Justice Department’s antitrust division is also investigating big tech companies for concerns about search practices as well as the possibility of harming competition.

Much more @ FTC Prepared To Break Up Big Tech - 'If You Have To, You Do It'

Google under pressure from Congress, activists, shareholders @ Google under pressure from Congress, activists, shareholders

 

[Dekster]

It will be a little harder to do with google than it will be with facebook. There is ample evidence that the only reason Facebook bought Instagram was to stop it from launching a new platform that was similar to facebook's. Google may be a little more circumspect because of chrome. We may have to rely on the EU to put them in check. They certainly have a hard on for whacking google with massive fines.

 

[longknife]

FTC chief sees obstacle to splitting up Facebook

Social network's effort to merge WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram may help keep the company together too, FTC chief tells the Financial Times.

I previously posted the article where the FTC is considering an effort to break up Facebook, Twitter, Google, and others. It seemed an impossibility to me then and this appears to confirm that.

Facebook's plan to merge WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram could hamper any attempt to break up the social media giant, the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission believes. Joseph Simmons told the Financial Times that all options are on the table as it conducts an antitrust investigation of the company, but combing the three major brands could complicate things.
"If they're maintaining separate business structures and infrastructure, it's much easier to have a divestiture in that circumstance than in where they're completely enmeshed and all the eggs are scrambled," he told the Financial Times.

This also added the following:

The US Department of Justice is also looking at antitrust concerns regarding tech companies such as Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon.

More @ FTC chief sees obstacle to splitting up Facebook

State attorneys general will reportedly kick off antitrust investigation into tech giants @ State attorneys general will reportedly kick off antitrust investigation into tech giants