Why does a senior antitrust legislator think it's time to crack Facebook – TechCrunch

When the new chair of a congressional antitrust committee calls you, it's probably time to start worrying.

In an editorial for the New York Times, Rhode Island's representative, David N. Cicilline, called on the Federal Trade Commission to review Facebook's behavior in potential antitrust offenses, citing TechCrunch's own information according to which society would have collected data on teenagers through a secret program among many other scandals.

"After each mischief is made public, Facebook alternates between denial, hollow promises and apology campaigns, "writes Cicillin. "But nothing changes. That's why, as the chair of the Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Antitrust Subcommittee, I'm calling for an investigation to determine if Facebook's conduct violated antitrust laws. "

Cicilline's op-op intends to put pressure on the FTC, a useful regulatory arm he accuses of "facing a crisis of mbadive credibility" because of his inaction so far against Facebook. And while Cicilline's call to action is centered on the FTC, the editorial gives insightful insight into Facebook's actions that matter to the legislator that Bloomberg has described as "the most 39, the most powerful man of technology "when he became the main member of the House. Judicial Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law this year.

This committee, now led by a Democratic party increasingly interested in making big technology a platform pillar, is a potentially powerful mechanism for antitrust action against the monopolistic power brokers that dominate the Silicon Valley that we know now.

"For years, privacy advocates have alerted the commission to the fact that Facebook was likely violating its commitments under the agreement. Not only did the commission fail to enforce its decision, but by blocking the acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram by Facebook, it allowed Facebook to expand its dominance, "wrote Cicilline. , pointing out that a multi-billion dollar fine was to have a negative impact on society. all. As we announced last month, the FTC is considering a potential multi-billion dollar fine, but such a costly reprimand has yet to materialize.

The legislator also referred to Facebook's "predatory acquisition strategy" in which it bought potential competitors before they could pose a threat, a stifling innovation. Cicilline also considers that the company's decision to restrict the use of the API for competing products constitutes "evidence of anti-competitive behavior" by the social giant.

Cicilline also has a well-known cynical view of Mark Zuckerberg's recent announcement that Facebook would link its products to create private messaging, calling it "a dangerous power grab to avoid antitrust actions." This perspective gives us a clear overview of Facebook faces are before us as antitrust obstacles rise around the presidential race of 2020.

"US antitrust agencies have not engaged in meaningful monopolistic proceedings for more than two decades, even as corporate concentration and monopolistic power have reached historic levels," wrote Cicilline.

"It is clear that a serious application is long overdue."