Thread by @jason_kint

This German antitrust hearing appeal tmw frightens Facebook (and Google) as it combines antitrust enforcement with data protection. Canada MP @beynate smartly asked FB about it in 2019. Watch the discomfort. ps @davidcicilline gets it, new FTC nominee @linamkhan gets it, too.

https://twitter.com/jason_kint/status/1374551920032026628

Here is the release from German Federal Cartel Office explaining events up until hearing. bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/Mel…

I picked the wrong month to not know German as this looks to be a fabulous set of resources from a class that has been focused on the Facebook German Cartel Office case.

https://twitter.com/ruppe_p/status/1374618348667953152

Thread from the lead tech correspondent for DW.

https://twitter.com/janoschdelcker/status/1374627117946826754

Thread from @POLITICOEurope competition reporter.

https://twitter.com/simonvandorpe/status/1374657054179229696

Finally, considering the core of case is the public is having its privacy rights abuse due to lack of meaningful consent with Facebook’s dominance and data mining across its apps and web, it can’t help FB’s lead regulator is under fire for inaction.

https://twitter.com/johnnyryan/status/1372244288990511107

Again, being based here in DC, I’ve long taken interest in the German Facebook case. The 48 US State AGs case vs Facebook has similar claims and with courage would seek similar intervention. It would immediately boost users’ rights, benefit publishers, and increase competition.

https://twitter.com/jason_kint/status/1336813617736507397

simple explanation is Facebook has to “silo” its data collection/linking it currently does across its owned apps, the web, other companies’ apps so they each have to compete on their own merits -and- consumers’ data is narrowly aligned with users’ expectations. It’s happening...

So Germany is leading here but the EU’s draft regs (DMA) for “gatekeepers” is set up to do same thing. FTC/states could intervene and mandate this, too. And antitrust law is recognizing the harm of a reduction in privacy should have consideration similar to a price increase.

Here is how US regulators could mirror the action. @Sally_Hubbard wrote about it in NYT as Facebook rushed to integrate its apps upon losing the German case (many missed this connection, not Sally). nytimes.com/2019/02/05/opi…

German case today is important. It’s where antitrust enforcement needs to go (for Google, too). It’s where gatekeeper laws need to be established. It’s worth noting Apple’s changes to IDFA seek to do something similar in breaking Facebook’s surveillance outside of its owned apps.

Also, for those who say FB’s owned apps already have enormous data, a reminder UK investigation established Facebook (and Google) unlike nearly every user service on the web, collect a majority of their data in a third party context when we’re not intending to interact with them.

ok, court referred Facebook case up to European Court of Justice (their top court). In other words, likely several more years emphasizing again importance of antitrust work by Congress here in US. A lot of carnage from Facebook's abuses in the meantime.

https://twitter.com/simonvandorpe/status/1374740489296089092?s=20

amazing coverage as always by @riptari including nailing this point that a decision here actually approaches "structural separation" to protect users and health of market without actually breaking them up. FTC and US states can take inspiration from this. techcrunch.com/2021/03/24/com…

Here is @business on same case. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Wow, talk about arrogance, Facebook is once again placing their company above government(s) by literally claiming to the world that the Federal Cartel Office of Germany has broken the law. reuters.com/article/us-fac…

this⬆️comes at a time of bipartisan efforts (@davidcicilline @RepKenBuck @SenAmyKlobuchar @SenMikeLee), AGs (@NewYorkStateAG @OhioAG), new nominees (eg @linamkhan) who get this intersection of data policy and antitrust at heart of German case. Let's see if Facebook is above them.