‘European Commission to start antitrust investigation into Facebook Marketplace’

The European Commission would soon announce an antitrust investigation into Facebook’s Marketplace. With the investigation, the Commission would like to examine whether the service is anti-competitive, because Marketplace is free.

The investigation may be announced in the coming days, the Financial Times reports, based on three anonymous sources. The Commission is still not entirely sure about the exact scope of the investigation. The research will in any case focus on online marketplaces, with the question whether Facebook undermines competitors in this market with Marketplace.

Previously, the European Commission sent questionnaires to Facebook and competing questions, including about the Marketplace. The formal antitrust investigation would be the next step.

Facebook previously went to court because of this investigation. The company felt the Commission’s requests were too broadly drafted, requiring Facebook to hand over “ largely irrelevant documents. ” For example, these documents would also contain sensitive information such as medical records, financial records and employee private information. The EU Court of Justice agreed with Facebook in July 2020.