By Sally Hubbard –
This essay will explore two primary reasons why fake news is an antitrust problem. First, Facebook and Google compete against legitimate news publishers for user attention, data and advertising dollars. The tech platforms’ business incentives run counter to the interests of legitimate news publishers, and the platforms pull technological levers that harm publishers’ business models and advantage their own. Second, Facebook and Google lack meaningful competition in their primary spheres of social media and online search, respectively. The platforms have an outsized impact on the flow of information worldwide and do not face competitive pressure to stem the spread of fake news.
