The European Commission, working with the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, launched a formal antitrust investigation into whether Facebook violated EU competition law.
According to Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager, who is in charge of EU competition policy, Facebook is used by over seven million businesses for advertising. The investigation stems from the social media platform’s alleged use of competitors’ advertising data to gain a competitive advantage in markets where it operates.
The investigation will also look into whether there are any links between the classified online ad service “Facebook Marketplace” and the platform itself.
EU and British regulators will examine whether Facebook exploits its position to gain a competitive advantage by utilizing commercially valuable data allegedly provided to it through “Facebook Marketplace.”
One method is to obtain precise information on user preferences from competitors’ activities and then use this information to adapt itself to reach consumers. If the allegations are proven, potential violations of Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union may occur (TFEU).
These articles discuss anticompetitive agreements between companies and the abuse of a dominant position under competition rules.
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