Facebook's Monopoly Problem
The Briefing Room
BBC
4.8 • 731 Ratings
🗓️ 31 December 2020
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
US federal regulators and dozens of state prosecutors are suing Facebook accusing it of illegal actions in buying up rivals and stifling competition. It's one of the biggest antitrusts in US history and is one of several cases being taken against big tech companies.
David Aaronovitch explores the case against Facebook and the evolution of antitrust law in the US. What is the basis on which these companies are being held to account, and is this law an outdated tool in confronting tech titans?
GUESTS: Gilad Edelman - Political writer at Wired magazine Scott Hemphill - Professor of Law at the University of New York Lina Khan - Associate Professor at Columbia Law School Ariel Ezrachi - Professor of Law at the University of Oxford
Producers: Serena Tarling, Viv Jones Editor: Jasper Corbett
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:07.6 | Welcome to the briefing room with me, David Aronovich. |
| 0:10.8 | It's you, me, top experts, a meeting room and 28 minutes. |
| 0:15.8 | This week, big tech may be in big trouble, |
| 0:19.0 | with Facebook facing anti-monopoly action in the US. |
| 0:22.6 | So will Facebook survive? |
| 0:28.6 | Earlier this month, on the same day, |
| 0:34.6 | the US government and dozens of state prosecutors filed two of the biggest |
| 0:39.2 | antitrust cases in US history against Facebook. It's a landmark moment for the company and for the |
| 0:45.9 | rest of big tech. Giant outfits that have revolutionised our lives have, up until now, |
| 0:51.3 | been allowed to grow and develop unhindered. |
| 0:56.3 | So is that all about to change? |
| 0:58.7 | And will the first victim be Facebook? |
| 1:01.9 | Step inside the briefing room, and together we'll find out. |
| 1:11.9 | First, what is the case against Facebook? |
| 1:17.5 | Gillard Edelman, a writer at Wired Magazine who covers tech and politics, has been following it. |
| 1:24.0 | Gillard, this case against Facebook in the United States, who launched it and why? |
| 1:31.3 | There were somewhat confusingly two cases filed on the same day against the same company. One case was filed by the Federal Trade Commission, which is the Department of the United States |
| 1:38.3 | Federal Government that enforces competition laws. |
| 1:41.3 | And then a parallel suit was filed by a coalition of 46 states plus two territories. |
| 1:48.8 | And together, the two suits accused Facebook of having used anti-competitive tactics to build up a |
| 1:56.2 | monopoly in social networking. The thrust of the case is that over the years, |
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