The FTC Is Looking Into Facebook Over Antitrust Matters

The US Federal Trade Commission still has a lot to clarify with Facebook.
After the agency confirmed it was fining Facebook a record-setting $5 billion for alleged privacy missteps, the agency is now investigating Facebook’s purchases of companies like Instagram and WhatsApp as being part of its social media strategy to beat the competition.

Back then, the FTC, via its Bureau of Consumer Protection, started to investigate Facebook back in March 2018, after it was revealed that the personal data of users had been sold to Cambridge Analytics, a data analytics firm after they took an online personality quiz. But it wasn’t just Cambridge Analytica that took advantage of that information: the data was also used by a number of other developers without the users’ consent. 

Recently, an FTC antitrust investigation was launched into Facebook, but details on the matter are not yet available publicly. According to The Wall Street Journal report, the agency is currently investigating Facebook’s acquisitions and contacts the companies acquired by Facebook for more info.

Moreover, The US Department of Justice is inquiring antitrust concerns concerning companies like Facebook, Apple, Google, and Amazon.