FTC Antitrust Probe of Facebook Scrutinizes Its Acquisitions

Apparently, the Federal Trade Commission is examining Facebook’s acquisitions as part of its antitrust investigation into the social-media giant—to determine if they were part of a campaign to snap up potential rivals before they could become a threat. Facebook disclosed the FTC’s antitrust investigation in its earnings announcement recently, but provided few details. FTC investigators are looking for evidence on whether Facebook and founder Mark Zuckerberg purchased startup technology firms to keep them from challenging Facebook’s empire, and has begun reaching out to people who founded companies that Facebook purchased. The company has acquired about 90 companies over roughly the last 15 years.