U.S. Antitrust Enforcers Signal Discord Over Probes of Big Tech
September 16 2019 - 4:19PM
Dow Jones News
By John D. McKinnon and Brent Kendall
WASHINGTON -- Turf battles between the federal government's two
antitrust enforcers are revving up as both assert authority to
investigate whether big technology companies are engaging in
anticompetitive behavior.
One flashpoint is the authority to investigate Facebook Inc.
The latest friction came in a letter late last week from the
Federal Trade Commission to the Justice Department's antitrust
division, in which the FTC complained about the department's
behavior and raised concerns about recent interactions between the
two agencies, according to people familiar with the matter.
The previously undisclosed letter raises the prospect that the
longstanding power-sharing agreement between the two agencies is
fraying. It is also raising concerns that the tension could
eventually hamstring several current antitrust probes of big tech
companies.
An FTC spokeswoman declined to comment. The Justice Department
didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Write to John D. McKinnon at john.mckinnon@wsj.com and Brent
Kendall at brent.kendall@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
September 16, 2019 16:04 ET (20:04 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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