Joe Biden said he would be open to breaking up Facebook, a sign of the deep skepticism among many Democratic presidential contenders about the power of massive technology firms.
In an interview on Monday with The Associated Press, the former vice president said that dismantling large technology companies is “something we should take a really hard look at.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts has been the most outspoken Democratic presidential candidate to press for greater regulation of Silicon Valley’s most prominent companies. While Biden didn’t fully embrace her proposal — saying it’s “premature” to make a final judgment — he praised Warren and said she “has a very strong case to be made” for cracking down on tech giants.
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The comments demonstrate how Facebook is increasingly a flashpoint in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, with some candidates arguing the influence of such companies is unchecked, allowing misinformation to poison the public debate. Sen. Kamala Harris of California said this weekend that she was open to revamping Facebook, telling CNN the company is essentially a public utility. But Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey told ABC that such calls aren’t very different from the tough tactics President Donald Trump takes against his enemies.
Regardless of whether Facebook is ultimately broken up, Biden told the AP that the Trump administration hasn’t done enough to enforce antitrust laws in a variety of industries.
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