PARIS (Reuters) – Facebook’s $22 billion buyout of WhatsApp six years ago should have been blocked, the boss of France’s antitrust watchdog, which is set to help review EU rules, has told Reuters.
FILE PHOTO: Head of France’s competition authority, Isabelle de Silva, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Paris, France, January 16, 2020. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
“Clearly, deals such as the Facebook/WhatsApp merger should probably not have been allowed,” Isabelle de Silva said in an interview.
“One of the things we see more clearly now than we did a few years ago is how the ability to collect and exploit data is a major advantage,” she said.
“This is what allows players like Facebook and Google to create their value today.”
A spokesman for Facebook had no immediate comment.
With a new European Commission in place, antitrust authorities in Brussels are preparing for an in-depth review of EU competition rules.
One focus will be globalization and…
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