European Union might slap Facebook with charges as the bloc’s antitrust enforcers are all set to prepare a case against the social media giant, over the anti-competitive abuses on its marketplace platform, media outlet POLITICO reported citing sources.
The antitrust regulators are apparently drawing up charges against Meta over its use of customer data and the tying of classified advertisements service known as Marketplace, the sources mentioned.
Facebook Marketplace, which is Meta’s classified ads business, was launched in 2016. It is used in 70 countries to buy and sell items.
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News agency Reuters also reported it, noting that the European Commission can impose fines up to 10 per cent of a company’s global turnover for antitrust violations.
The news agency also said that Meta has declined to comment on this update.
As per the report by POLITICO, the EU regulator might probe how the firm could use data obtained from its advertisers to give an advantage to the Marketplace over competing services unfairly.
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Urgent calls have been made by EU regulators to the rivals of Facebook to provide evidence of the abuse. The calls were made to know where the alleged harmful conduct across Facebook’s Marketplace actually occurs.
The investigation began into the social network company in June of last year and Britain’s competition agency also began an enquiry on the same day. Now it is also reported that the charge sheet might be issued before the Christmas break.
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