Including privacy in the investigations would expand the range of issues enforcers are known to be looking at, including Facebook’s past acquisitions and Google’s conduct in the digital advertising market. — AFP
US antitrust authorities probing Facebook Inc and Alphabet Inc’s Google have struggled with scrutinising companies whose products are popular and free. Now they may have a solution: Use privacy as a test.
As the US Justice Department, Federal Trade Commission, Congress and the states investigate whether Internet companies are flouting antitrust laws, academics and even some regulators are pushing to go beyond the traditional focus on price as a determinant of harm. Enforcers, they say, should also consider privacy lapses as a proxy for anti-competitive behaviour.
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