Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg headed to DC amid antitrust crackdown on tech
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Thursday, as pressure mounts on U.S. regulators to increase scrutiny on potentially anti-competitive practices within the technology sector.
In a statement to FOX Business, a spokesperson for the company confirmed Zuckerberg would be in D.C. to meet with policymakers about the “future of internet regulation.”
Other outlets have reported that meetings began on Wednesday night.
At this point, no public events are scheduled.
The meetings come on amid heightened unease about competition in the technology sector – specifically regarding the company’s largest companies.
This week, antitrust regulators from the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission testified before a Senate Judiciary Committee, naming investigations into competitive activity in technology markets as a top priority.
In fact, the FTC has shifted resources to establish a dedicated technology task force, FTC chair Joseph Simons said.
“They are focused on high-technology platforms and they’re very active,” Simons added.
The only company the FTC official could confirm the agency was investigating is Facebook because the company itself publicly disclosed the case.
In July, the FTC approved a $5 billion fine against the social media company over how it handled users’ personal information.
Meanwhile, discussions are rumbling about potentially breaking up the country’s largest tech companies – including Facebook. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren – who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination in 2020 – released a plan in March to break up companies that have “too much power” and have “bulldozed competition.”
Zuckerberg has called for increased oversight of the internet, specifically pertaining to harmful content, election integrity, privacy and data portability.
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