WASHINGTON – On Wednesday (July 14), Facebook filed a petition with the Federal Trade Commission, requesting that Chair Lina Khan remove herself from the FTC’s antitrust action against the firm, a move that might jeopardize the agency’s case. In December, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Facebook, saying that the social media behemoth violated antitrust laws by purchasing photo-sharing site Instagram and messaging tool WhatsApp. The case was dismissed by a US judge in June, but the agency was given a roadmap on how to recast it and a deadline of July 29 to refile it.
Khan was not allowed to participate in deciding whether and how the FTC’s case against Facebook should proceed, according to the company. Khan’s recusal would leave two Democrats to vote for a fresh case after the two current Republican commissioners decided to oppose the FTC lawsuit against Facebook in December. If there is a tie vote, the topic will be tabled. In a statement, a Facebook spokesman stated, “Chair Khan has frequently made well-documented statements on Facebook and antitrust matters that would lead any reasonable observer to assume that she has prejudged the Facebook antitrust case launched by the FTC.” “We have requested that Chair Khan recuse herself from the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Facebook to ensure the fairness and impartiality of these proceedings.” A request for comment from the FTC was not immediately returned./n
