European Commission to start antitrust investigation into Facebook Marketplace

Spread the love

The European Commission was soon to announce an antitrust investigation into Facebook’s Marketplace. With the investigation, the Commission would like to see, among other things, whether the service is anti-competitive, because Marketplace is free.

The investigation may be announced in the coming days, the Financial Times reports citing three anonymous sources. The Commission is not yet completely sure about the exact scope of the investigation. The investigation will in any case focus on online marketplaces, with the question whether Facebook undermines competitors in this market with Marketplace.

Previously, the European Commission sent questionnaires to Facebook and competing questions, including about the Marketplace. The formal antitrust investigation would be the next step in this regard.

Facebook went to court earlier because of this investigation. The company thought the Commission’s requests were too broad, forcing Facebook to hand over “largely irrelevant documents.” For example, these documents would also contain sensitive information, such as medical records, financial documents and private information of employees. The EU Court of Justice ruled in favor of Facebook in July 2020.

You might also like