US presidential candidate Kamala Harris favors the dismantling of Facebook

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris said on Sunday that US officials should consider breaking Facebook Inc., the world 's largest social media company, claiming it "s right for me. is a utility that has not been regulated.

Harris, a US senator and one of the 20 Democrats in search of the party's nomination for the 2020 presidential election, said Facebook prioritized growth ahead of consumer interests, particularly for the protection of privacy. private life.

"I think we need to seriously consider this (breaking Facebook), yes," Harris said in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper. She said that very few people can manage their communities, businesses or businesses without using Facebook. "So we have to recognize him for who he is. It is essentially a utility that is not regulated. "

Regulators around the world are closely monitoring data sharing practices, as well as hate speech and misinformation on its networks.

Other US lawmakers, including Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, have called for action to dismantle large technology companies and federal regulations on privacy.

Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes called last week to split the social network into three parts.

Facebook, which has more than 2 billion users on its social network, rejected Hughes' call. The spokesman, Nick Clegg, said that Facebook accepted that success implies responsibility, "but you do not impose it by calling for the dissolution of a successful American company."

The first public opinion polls show that Harris ranks first among the Democrats who announced presidential campaigns. She and several other Democratic candidates have spent a lot of money on Facebook ads.

Warren and another senator who wanted to run for the Democratic presidency, Amy Klobuchar, proposed stepping up antitrust controls in the tech sector. Warren promised to break Facebook, Amazon.com Inc. and Google if Alphabet Inc was elected.

But Senator Cory Booker, another Democratic presidential candidate, said on Sunday: "We do not need a president who uses his personal convictions to tell you which companies we are going to break.

"We need a president who enforces antitrust laws in this country, and I will be that person," Booker told ABC, "This Week."

Republican President Donald Trump also suggested that Amazon and social networks like Facebook needed stricter regulation.