Software
Mark Zuckerberg testified before the FTC as part of his Facebook antitrust investigation.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified this week to the Federal Trade Commission as part of the ongoing antitrust investigation of the company by the regulator, according to a new Politico Thursday report.
For at least a year, the FTC has been investigating Facebook for possible violations of US antitrust law. Facebook reported in July 2019 that the Corporation had conducted a survey of the company as part of its quarterly earnings disclosure. According to Politico, the investigation is still ongoing, and Zuckerberg has testified under oath in the course of two days this week.
"We are committed to cooperating with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's investigation and answering questions that the Agency may have," the Facebook Company spokesperson said Thursday to The Verge. The FTC refused to make any comments.
Facebook is conducting a number of antitrust investigations outside of the FTC's. Last September, a coalition of state attorneys, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, opened an investigation into the social media company. The House Judiciary Committee has been investigating major tech firms, including Twitter, since last July. Last month, the House panel held a hearing where Zuckerberg testified, along with the CEOs of Apple, Amazon , and Google.
In 2019, the FTC fined $5 billion on Facebook as a result of a long-standing investigation of the company's relationship with Cambridge Analytica 's political analytics firm and other breaches of privacy.
Throughout that hearing, Zuckerberg faced tough questions about Facebook's acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) dug into Zuckerberg via text messages, the committee concluded that it threatened to copy Instagram as a new Facebook product if co-founder of the photo-sharing app, Kevin Systrom, did not 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.
