Facebook has put forward the idea of easing antitrust concerns by allowing a competitor to license access to its code and its users’ collection of relationships to allow for the easier development of a rival social platform, according to unnamed sources in a report from The Washington Post.
The social media company didn’t provide the Post with company executives to talk about the matter, but company representative Chris Sgro told the outlet that “we will continue to vigorously defend the ability of people and businesses to choose our free services, advertising, and apps because of the value they bring.”
Facebook provided the offer to state and federal investigators who were preparing two antitrust suits against it, according to the report, which noted that investors ended up turning down the idea.
Facebook and Google are encountering many antitrust lawsuits in addition to probes by European and American regulators. For example, Facebook faces an antitrust suit backed by the US Federal Trade Commission and 46 states, while Google has been hit by an antitrust suit filed by a group of 38 state attorneys general.
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