Facebook May See US Antitrust Charges as Soon as November: Report

The US Federal Trade Commission met privately on Thursday to discuss a Facebook probe, Washington Post reported.

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 24 October 2020 10:17 IST
Highlights
  • FTC met privately on Thursday to discuss a probe against Facebook
  • Mark Zuckerberg was interviewed at an FTC investigative hearing in August
  • Facebook agreed to pay $5 billion fine in July 2019

Facebook has had probes by the Justice Department and by state attorneys general

Facebook may face US anti-trust charges as soon as November, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing four people familiar with the matter.

The Federal Trade Commission met privately on Thursday to discuss a probe while state attorneys general under the leadership of New York's Letitia James have been scrutinizing the company for potential threats to competition, the newspaper reported.

The timeline could still change, the newspaper said, adding that state attorneys general are in the late stages of preparing their complaint.

Advertisement

Facebook, the FTC and the office of the New York Attorney General were not immediately available for comment late on Friday.

Advertisement

Facebook said in August that Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg was interviewed at an FTC investigative hearing as part of the government's antitrust probe into the company.

Facebook faced similar probes by the Justice Department and by state attorneys general, and has said previously the investigations were looking at prior acquisitions and business practices involving "social networking or social media services, digital advertising, and/or mobile or online applications."

Advertisement

In July 2019, Facebook agreed to pay a record-breaking $5 billion (roughly Rs. 36,917 crores) fine to resolve a separate FTC probe into the company's privacy practices.

© Thomson Reuters 2020


Are iPhone 12 mini, HomePod mini the Perfect Apple Devices for India? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

 

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Realme P4 Power 5G Will be Launched in India Soon: See Expected Specs
  2. Here's How Much the Motorola Signature Could Cost in India
  3. Flipkart Reveals Deals on Phones For its Upcoming Sale: See Offers
  4. Oppo A6c Launched With 6,500mAh Battery, Snapdragon 685 SoC
  5. Android 17 May Redesign Notifications, Quick Settings With Split Layout
  6. Samsung Quietly Reveals Its Future Plans for Galaxy AI Solution
  7. Amazon Great Republic Day Sale 2026: See Best Deals on iPhone Models
  8. Redmi Note 15 Pro 5G India Variant Spied on Geekbench, Could Launch Soon
  9. Google Trends Adds Gemini to Suggest and Compare Keywords Instantly
  10. Global Smartphone Market Grew in Q4 2025; Apple Holds Top Spot: IDC
  1. Stop Guessing Keywords: Google Trends Adds Gemini to Suggest and Compare Topics Instantly
  2. Bitcoin Pushes Toward $97,000 as ETF Inflows Lift Crypto Sentiment
  3. Samsung Quietly Confirms Galaxy AI Basic Features Will Remain Free Permanently
  4. Oppo A6c With 6,500mAh Battery, Snapdragon 685 SoC Launched: Price, Features
  5. Forza Horizon 6 Release Date Seems to Have Leaked in Forza Horizon 5
  6. Suriya 46 OTT Release: Know When, Where to Watch This Tamil Family Drama
  7. OpenAI-Murati Talent War: Three Founding Members Exit as Indian Techie Steps in as Thinking Machines CTO
  8. Android 17 May Redesign Notifications and Quick Settings With Split Layout
  9. Samsung's One UI 8.5 Reportedly Includes Hundreds of Customisable Unlock Animations
  10. Apple Could Begin Mass Production of In-House AI Server Chips Later This Year: Ming-Chi Kuo
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.