Facebook is currently being indicted in the United States by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and 48 states for unfair competition practices. As Washington Post reports, according to three people with inside knowledge, lawyers from Facebook have indicated that the company is ready to help build competitors.
So Facebook apparently wants to circumvent the monopoly allegations. One of the ideas that Facebook is said to have suggested was to license parts of the Facebook code to other companies.
With its help, other companies could then have set up their own social network. Due to the ongoing investigation, the sources have passed on this information anonymously.
The idea, together with other suggestions, is said to have not convinced the investigators not to initiate proceedings against Facebook. In the end, there were still sufficient concerns about a possible distortion of competition, which ultimately led to the two lawsuits from the FTC and the 48 states, which, among other things, demand a split of the company.
