Bam, there it is.
After more than a year of bipartisan investigations of Google, Facebook (plus Apple and Amazon), the U.S. House antitrust report just dropped. Time to go into deep-read mode. Tweets likely comin'. cc @dcnorg https://judiciary.house.gov/uploadedfiles/investigation_of_competition_in_digital_markets_majority_staff_report_and_recommendations.pdf

woah. this seems new.
"It was collusion, but within an internal monopoly. If you own two social media utilities, they should not be allowed to shore each other up. It’s unclear to me why this should not be illegal." p142 digging thru FB section first.

cc German Federal Cartel Office whose proper findings kicked off Facebook's rush to integrate Instagram and Facebook, a decision which defies logic for any competent Brand marketer. "It’s not like building a skyscraper and then suddenly needing to knock the building down again."

Yup, popping the myth Facebook built Instagram: "Facebook’s support of Instagram’s growth after acquiring it is overstated. Before acquiring Instagram, Mr. Zuckerberg said that Facebook should “invest a few more engineers in it” but let Instagram “run relatively independently."

FB acquisition/use of Onavo is House's first listed conduct harm. I mean Facebook's denies being a surveillance advertising biz but they literally purchased a VPN to surveil the internet for M&A insights and targeted ads. p162

after two additional harms including weaponization of platform (includes evidence from previously leaked docs), we roll into decision FB has a monopoly in digital advertising in the social networking market. Dead to rights with 4 other national investigations in agreement.

This. (Back to the top)
Here is what I frequently witness and argue is the greatest evidence of the antitrust concerns towards Google and Facebook.

Love seeing this. "The persistent collection and misuse of consumer data is an indicator of market power in the digital economy." It's how you can recognize a smart antitrust investigation -> it intersects with data policy and privacy. Bravo.

(sorry, need to head to dinner...passenger in car so still reviewing)

More on use of data to maintain monopolies throughout report (see attachment, too). This time regarding Google which we've published significant research backing up. "The persistent collection and misuse of consumer data is an indicator of market power in the digital economy."

p45 aka you are their product.

consistent with what we've been saying for many years about the duopoly. Privacy improvements are antithetical to their business interests. cc @caprivacyorg @FTC @EdMarkey @HawleyMO @SenBlumenthal @KenBuck

Quoting DOJ's Delrahim here. I can't emphasize enough how Google's now Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg is the brain and arguably the most influential executive in history in the abuse of data protection, privacy and the downstream harm to society. She is a living Palantir.

SO. DAMN. SMART. Well covered on intersection between data and competition policy.

pleased to see an entire section on the effects of the duopoly on a free and diverse press p57-73 (and noted a quote from me and @DCNorg on p70)....I'm going to back and read this section tonight. I've lived it and I'm sure they've captured it well based on my read so far.

good. 73-76 hit on impact to political and economic liberty. you could write a book on this one. they cite the fear across the market (I know this well). No board wants its CEO to be in a dispute with Google or Facebook in my experience. also covers the $$$ influence in DC.

As I read the clear Google section, I'm at least happy Google can no longer feed the narrative through its trades and lobby that antitrust scrutiny of the company is just international jealousy of an American success story.

Yup, we see this in the News category also.

I am so happy to see a section on Google titled, ***Threatening Innovation and the Open Internet.*** Congress cut through Google's BS as did @ProfFionasm to recognize Google has built a "walled garden" across the open web by controlling the gates and design.

yup, everyone is investigating Google on antitrust in the digital advertising market. Good to see such recent evidence included from the very bipartisan Senate Judiciary hearing just last month.

when I repeat these types of statements to anyone about Google's business, they simply ask "how is that legal???"

Bam. this is the merging of cookie data under Google's conduct examples as reported by @JuliaAngwin. It's on the list for the Texas AG and DOJ, too. I remember when Google called me to try to spin their announcement. Instead, they were trying to keep up with Facebook on identity.

there was clear evidence of this presented in the Senate Judiciary hearing last month....

OMG, "Google explained that it had launched Chrome as a defensive move to protect users’ access to Google’s products" ... that's just stupid spin. I can't emphasize enough how much Eric Schmidt's influence and lobbying over Washington damaged the market for so many others.

“I find the very, very high-profile promotion of Google Chrome on http://Google.com  quite frankly, startling.” Senior executives at the company pushed to continue this strategy." (including now CEO Sundar Pichai)

Read this graph and then be reminded that Google pays many, many $$$billions$$$ to have Google Search as the default on iOS. You know...because competition is only a click away....

this is an important observation. It was one of my four "Ds" in describing Google's anticompetitive role -> Design. Google effectively has a virtuous cycle locking in its dominance by impacting the design of the web. (my testimony - https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Kint%20Testimony.pdf)

(official break for dinner) - sorry for the long thread.

ps in the meantime, solid thread by @matthewstoller who is capturing his thoughts as he makes his way through it. This jumps out: https://twitter.com/matthewstoller/status/1313602797108178945

And yes, I stand by this point this morning. Google and Facebook would love for the antitrust report to be written as divided between parties. But that’s a lie. And it’s out today so not really delayed either. https://twitter.com/jason_kint/status/1313463530608381952