US: AG Barr wants DOJ Facebook antitrust Probe

The Justice Department intends to investigate Facebook Inc. after prodding from US Attorney General William Barr, according to Bloomberg, even though the FTC already has an inquiry underway.

According to Bloomberg the social-media giant now faces parallel probes by two federal agencies over whether it has harmed competition in violation of antitrust laws.

The Justice Department’s case will focus on conduct that’s separate from what the FTC is examining, said the person, who declined to be named because the matter is confidential. The two federal inquiries are in addition to investigations by state attorneys general and the House Judiciary Committee.

The simultaneous Facebook probes are a departure from the agencies’ usual practice of dividing up scrutiny of companies based on staff expertise reported Bloomberg. They share antitrust enforcement power and often hammer out so-called clearance agreements, some of which can involve considerable behind-the-scenes wrangling, to avoid overlap.

Full Content: Bloomberg

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