Day 3
Photo: Mark Zuckerberg F8 2019 Keynote – Anthony Quintano (CC BY 2.0)
One of the first cases Vestager had to investager was the merger of Facebook and WhatsApp in 2014. Why did the case resurface in 2017?
Facebook was fined for making false statements during the merger investigation.
Facebook had offered to introduce data silos (as requested in 2017 by the Bundeskartellamt), but in 2014 the Commission saw more “innovative potential” in a combination of data.
Politico found out that Vestager had informed Mark Zuckerberg by WhatsApp that the merger was approved of.
Facebook lodged a complaint for privacy violations during the investigation.
