New FTC memo calls for a focus on structural dominance from big companies

In a memo to staff this week, FTC Chair Lina Khan outlined her new priorities for the agency: to focus on power imbalance, reduce harms to consumers, and address “rampant consolidation.” Khan wrote that the agency should focus its efforts and adjust its strategic approach to deal with the issues created by “next-generation technologies, innovations, and nascent industries across sectors.”

And without mentioning Amazon, Apple, or Facebook by name, Khan’s list of priorities for the FTC signals that the tech giants are likely to face much closer scrutiny from the agency.

First, Khan said, the FTC should take a “holistic” approach to how it considers antitrust violations, which can prove harmful to independent businesses and workers as well...

Continue reading…