Facebook facing anti-trust investigations by EU, UK over classified ads

LONDON — European Union and British regulators have opened dual antitrust investigations into Facebook to look into whether the company distorts competition in the classified advertising market by using data it collects from rival services.

The EU’s executive Commission said Friday that it’s also looking at whether the way Facebook embeds its own classified ad service, Marketplace, into the social network gives it an advantage in reaching customers, in violation of EU competition rules.

In a simultaneous announcement, the U.K.'s regulation watchdog said that it was launching an investigation into whether Facebook's data collection practices gave it an unfair advantage over other competitors who are providing classified ads and dating services.

The investigation is the latest salvo by EU regulators trying to rein in the dominance of big tech companies. In December, the bloc unveiled legislation that aimed to make tech companies more responsible for the content on their platforms.

Facebook told the Associated Press that it “will continue to cooperate fully with the investigations to demonstrate that they are without merit.”