Facebook was today being investigated by Britain’s competition regulator over its collection and use of advertising data.
The Competition and Markets Authority launched an investigation into whether the company might be abusing a dominant position in the social media or digital advertising markets.
The CMA is probing whether the California-based firm has gained an unfair advantage over competitors in providing services for online classified ads and online dating, through how it gathers and uses certain data.
The regulator, based in , told how Facebook collects data from its digital advertising services, which allow other businesses to advertise to Facebook users.
It also collects data from its single sign-on option, Facebook Login, which lets people sign into other websites, apps and services with their Facebook details.
Facebook collects data from its single sign-on option, Facebook Login, which lets people sign into other websites, apps and services with their Facebook details (file image)
Competition and Markets Authority chief executive Andrea Coscelli (pictured) said the regulator would be ‘working closely with the European Commission’
The CMA said it will look into whether Facebook has unfairly used the data gained from its advertising and single sign-on to benefit its own services.
It will focus on Facebook Marketplace – where users and businesses can put up classified Google Ads Account Login to sell items – and Facebook Dating, which launched in Europe in 2020.
