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US: Facebook-Instagram deal warrants new scrutiny, Colorado AG says

By  |  August 19, 2019

Antitrust officials are right to look back at Facebook Inc.’s acquisition of Instagram to determine whether the deal harmed competition, Colorado’s attorney general said, adding to calls for renewed scrutiny of the takeover of the photo-sharing site.

Phil Weiser said in an interview Monday that large internet platforms like Facebook have been able to buy emerging rivals without sufficient antitrust review of the effects on competition.

“Hindsight is 20-20, but I think looking back it does look like that sort of transaction didn’t get the scrutiny it deserved,” Weiser said about the 2012 Instagram deal. “When a merger doesn’t get challenged that doesn’t mean it is immunized from any potential future challenge.”

Full Content: Bloomberg

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