FTC considering an injunction against Facebook
The injunction would prevent Facebook from integrating its services
It could also block Facebook from enforcing its own rules about how third-party apps work with the platform.
The Federal Trade Commission in the US may be gearing up to prevent Facebook from integrating its various services like Whatsapp and Instagram. The FTC’s plan is to file an injunction against Facebook, which would effectively prevent the social media giant from merging its services in any shape or form. According to the report, the injunction could also block Facebook from enforcing its own rules about how third-party apps work with the platform.
In order to block Facebook from merging all its services, the FTC will first need the motion to be approved by a majority of the five-person commission. Once passed, the FTC will then have to file a lawsuit against Facebook and will specifically have to ask the court to impose an injunction on Facebook, which would hold for the duration of the trial. According to the Wall Street Journal, the FTC is expected to begin this process next month.
Facebook’s plans of integrating its various services such as Instagram, Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger had sparked major concerns amongst users and policy makers alike. A merger of these three services would give Facebook access to an unprecedented amount of user data, which the company has a long standing history of abusing in favour of profits. Despite the Cambridge Analytica expose, there’s been very little in the form of legislation to prevent big tech companies from trading in user data. The FTC has been mulling going after big tech, but nothing has yet materialized.
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