FTC Gets Jurisdiction for Possible Facebook Antitrust Probe

The Federal Trade Commission will lead any antitrust investigation into Facebook under an arrangement that gives the Justice Department chief oversight of Alphabet's Google, as the U.S. government gears up for scrutiny of the country's major tech companies over competition concerns. From a report: The FTC secured the rights to begin a potential investigation of Facebook and whether it has engaged in unlawful monopolistic practices as part of an agreement that allowed the Justice Department to take the reins in a Google probe, according to people familiar with the matter. The FTC and Justice Department share authority in enforcing U.S. antitrust law and at times must work out turf arrangements regarding which agency will handle what issues. FTC already has spent more than a year investigating Facebook on privacy issues related to how it handles users' data. That probe, however, doesn't focus on antitrust questions on whether Facebook is stifling competition in the digital realm. The fact that the commission formally secured jurisdiction on those issues suggests it is considering even more rigorous scrutiny of the social media giant.

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