π₯ Di F.T.C.’s Court Loss Raise Fresh Questions About Its Chair’s Strategy π€
β¬οΈ Pidgin β¬οΈ β¬οΈ Black American Slang β¬οΈ English
Lina Khan don become di chair of di Federal Trade Commission (F.T.C.) two years ago on a promise to bring π₯ action against di biggest tech companies.
For too long, Ms. Khan bin talk say di agency don dey weak π’ and dem need to challenge big guns like Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Google for court to stop dem from dia growing power. Even if di F.T.C. lose di cases, she later add say na small victory because dem go show say antitrust laws need to update for di modern internet era.
But on Tuesday, Ms. Khan see di biggest blow to her agenda yet. One judge reject di F.T.C.’s attempt to stop Microsoft’s $70 billion acquisition of di video game maker Activision Blizzard, dem say di agency no prove say di deal go reduce competition and harm consumers. On Wednesday, di F.T.C. file notice say dem go appeal di judge decision.
Dat one na afta di loss for February when one judge reject F.T.C. lawsuit wey dey try block Meta from buying di virtual reality start-up Within.
Di defeats raise questions about Ms. Khan’s ability to achieve her big goal of reversing weak antitrust enforcement wey don dey happen for decades. As political pressure dey increase and patience dey reduce for di 34-year-old academic, wey don ruffle feathers for corporate America. Ms. Khan’s critics dey bolder and dey talk more to show say her strategy of taking di matter go court no dey work, dem dey argue say di losses no even be small wins, na just straight-up losses. π¬
“I no fit support dis approach,” Anthony Sabino, one professor of business and law for St. John’s University talk about Ms. Khan’s methods. “She dey try change centuries of antitrust law overnight, and e no necessarily wise.”
Adam Kovacevich, di chief executive of Chamber of Progress, one tech trade group, talk say di defeats make F.T.C. no look credible again. “All dis court losses dey make dia threats dey look like paper tiger,” e talk.
Some people dey wonder if Ms. Khan dey waste F.T.C.’s resources to carry cases wey dem no go fit win. “Dem don dey reckless with di cases dem dey bring,” Ashley Baker, one director of public policy for Committee for Justice, one conservative think tank talk.
Di criticism dey put Ms. Khan for hot seat as she dey prepare for potential actions against di tech giants. F.T.C. don file antitrust suits against Meta and dem fit bring one against Amazon, wey dem dey investigate for claims of illegal monopolization.
For now, Ms. Khan go first need to defend herself. On Thursday, dem go grill am for one House Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of F.T.C., di Republican-led panel talk say dem want look into di management of F.T.C. and di way dem disregard ethics and congressional oversight under Chair Lina Khan.
Ms. Khan no wan talk about dis mata for dis article, and Douglas Farrar, one F.T.C. spokesman, no wan comment on how di court losses go affect her agenda. Afta di Microsoft-Activision ruling on Tuesday, Mr. Farrar talk say di agency dey “disappointed with dis outcome based on di clear threat wey dis merger pose to open competition in cloud gaming, subscription services, and consoles.”
Ms. Khan come become popular when she bin dey study law for Yale for 2017. Na dat time she argue for one paper wey she write for law journal say Amazon dey suppress competition and dey violate antitrust laws despite say dem dey reduce prices for consumers. Di paper start one big debate on how to limit di tech giants and how to modernize antitrust practices.
Afta President Biden pick Ms. Khan to lead di F.T.C., she dey always talk say dem need to go court, whether dem win or lose, to give di tech industry strong signal say di agency don become tough sheriff. She talk say even if dem lose for court, dem go gradually change theories of antitrust.
Ms. Khan use dat thinking when F.T.C. sue to stop Meta last year from buying one small virtual-reality company, Within. People bin dey surprise about di case because virtual reality still dey grow, so e hard to argue say di deal go reduce competition for one market wey never fully form.
But Ms. Khan argue say regulators must stop competition and consumer protection violations for di cutting edge of technology, not only for areas wey di companies don already become giants.
“Wetin we fit see be say inaction after inaction fit get severe consequences,” she talk for one interview with The New York Times and CNBC for January 2022. “And na dat one we dey try reverse.”
Di year start, one judge reject F.T.C. demand to stop Meta’s acquisition of Within. But di judge agree with some of F.T.C.’s arguments, including how di agency define tech markets for di case.
Di loss on Tuesday for di Microsoft-Activision case pain pass, partly because di mega merger don become test to see if big tech deals fit happen even as regulatory scrutiny dey increase. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley of U.S. District Court for di Northern District of California talk say consumers benefit from Microsoft’s expectation of tough review, she write: “E don pay off.” But her ruling no leave anything else wey go favor F.T.C.
For di case, di agency argue say di deal no suppose close sake of say e fit harm competition. Microsoft fit make some of Activision’s games exclusive to dia Xbox game consoles or fit reduce di experience of playing games like Activision’s Call of Duty for oda consoles like Sony’s PlayStation.
But Judge Corley write say F.T.C. probably no go fit win dia challenge to di merger for di agency’s internal court, she still talk say Microsoft dey do enough to prevent rivals from suffering.
“F.T.C. no fit show any document wey contradict Microsoft’s public commitment say Call of Duty go dey available for PlayStation,” she write.
Eleanor Fox, one professor emeritus for New York University’s law school talk say e still too early to determine if Ms. Khan’s strategy dey work. For oda parts of di world, especially for di European Union and Britain, regulators also dey take antitrust actions against big tech companies, she note.
Ms. Khan, she talk, “na only one outlier for di U.S., no be global.”
NOW IN BLACK AMERICAN SLANG
π₯ Peep Dis: How Meta’s New App Stack Up Against Twitter, My People? π±π
Ay, pay attention! Facebook done dropped Meta, dey brand-new app, and y’all be wonderin’ how it be holdin’ up ‘gainst di OG social media, Twitter. Meta talkin’ ’bout how dia new app go “connect di world” in a whole new way. Dem say we go discover, join, and follow threads wey catch our interest. But real talk, how Meta gon’ hold it down against Twitter wey don already capture our hearts and timelines? π€
Let’s dive deep into dis thang:
π₯οΈ Interface and Design: Meta app come through with a fresh new design, and some of y’all feelin’ it. Di colors poppin’, di navigation smooth, and dem focus on makin’ tings easy to find and use. Di layout remind me of Instagram, how dem arrange dia posts and comments. If y’all already rockin’ with Instagram, Meta gon’ be a breeze to navigate.
Twitter, on di otha hand, be di OG for microblogging. Dem start di “tweet” culture wey done spread all ova di place. E simple, with di timeline and di iconic 280-character limit for each tweet. E no flashy like Meta, but e get di job done in di world of tweets. π¦
π§ Features: Meta come through with some new features wey dey catch people attention. One biggie na di “Threads” feature wey allow us to start or join lengthy conversations on different topics. Na like Meta’s version of Twitter threads, but with some extra spice. We fit discover threads wey match our interests and even follow dem to stay updated.
Twitter, di birthplace of threads, still dey hold di crown. Na dia wey di trend of long conversations inside one tweet start. Retweet and quote tweet features still reign supreme for Twitter, and di sense of community dey strong. Plus, Twitter dey drop new features to enhance di user experience like Spaces, wey allow us to join live audio convos. π§΅
π Privacy and Data Handling: Meta don already chop knock for privacy and data handling for dia main Facebook platform. Some of us dey concerned say di new app fit follo di same pattern. Meta claim say dem dey prioritize privacy and control, but we dey keep our eyes peeled to see if dem go walk di talk.
Twitter, on di otha hand, done face dia own privacy wahala too. But di platform don make efforts to step up security and give us control ova our data. Dem introduce features like two-factor authentication and betta privacy settings. π
π₯ Community and Engagement: Na we, di users, make di app special. Meta dey try attract us with dia promise of new threads and communities to join. Dem believe say dis go make di app more engaging and foster connections between people with similar interests.
Twitter na di original place for community engagement. E get di real-time feel wey make us fit participate for trending topics and join di conversation. Di hashtag culture still strong for Twitter, and na dia celebrities and influencers dey engage with dia fans. π¬
Verdict: E no easy to declare who carry di crown between Meta and Twitter. Both platforms get dia unique features and loyal communities. Meta dey try bring somethin’ new with di Threads feature, but dem need time to grow dia user base and see how we go embrace am. Twitter still dey on top for real-time news, trends, and di vibrant community.
In di end, na your personal preference matter. If you dig di clean design and like to explore new threads, Meta fit be your go-to app. But if you thrive on di fast-paced nature and real-time conversations, Twitter go keep you locked in.
Di choice dey for your hands. Whether you choose Meta or stick with Twitter, di main thing na say make you enjoy di social media experience and connect with di world. So, keep tweeting or threading, and let’s see how dis competition play out for di online space. π±π
NOW IN ENGLISH
π₯ Pay Attention: How Meta’s New App Compares to Twitter π±π
Facebook don launch dia new app wey dem call Meta, and people dey wonder how e take relate to di popular social media platform, Twitter. Meta dey claim say dia new app, wey dem talk say go “connect di world” for better way, allow users to discover, join, and follow threads wey interest dem. But di question be say, how Meta take measure up to di well-established Twitter wey don already capture our hearts and timelines? π€
Make we look am well well:
π₯οΈ Interface and Design: Meta app come with fresh design wey some people find interesting. E feature bright colors, smooth navigation, and focus on making tins easy to find and use. Di layout dey similar to how Instagram arrange posts and comments, so if you don already dey familiar with Instagram, e go dey easy for you to navigate Meta.
Twitter, for di oda hand, na di leading microblogging platform. Dem start di “tweet” culture wey don spread well well. E get simple interface with timeline and di iconic 280-character limit for each tweet. E no fit compete with Meta for fancy level, but e dey do di job for di world of tweets. π¦
π§ Features: Meta introduce some new features wey don catch people attention. One of di standout features na “Threads,” wey allow users to start or join lengthy conversations on different topics. Na Meta own version of Twitter threads, but with extra spice. Users fit discover threads based on dia interests and even follow dem to dey updated.
Twitter, for di oda hand, na di birthplace of threads. Na dia di trend of engaging for long conversations inside one tweet start. Retweet and quote tweet features still dey dominate for Twitter, and di sense of community dey strong. Twitter still dey add new features to enhance di user experience, like Spaces, wey allow users to participate for live audio conversations. π§΅
π Privacy and Data Handling: Meta don face privacy and data handling wahala for dia main Facebook platform. Some people dey concerned say di new app fit follow di same pattern. Meta dey claim say dem prioritize privacy and control, but we dey observe to see how e go play out.
Twitter, for di oda hand, don face dia own privacy challenges. However, di platform don make effort to improve security and give users more control over dia data. Dem don introduce features like two-factor authentication and enhanced privacy settings. π
π₯ Community and Engagement: At di end of di day, na di users of an app dey make am special. Meta dey try attract people with di promise of new threads and communities to join. Dem believe say e go make di app more engaging and foster connections among people wey get similar interests.
Twitter na di original platform for community engagement. E get dat real-time feel wey encourage participation for trending topics and conversations. Di hashtag culture still strong for Twitter, and na dia celebrities and influencers dey engage with dia fans. π¬
Verdict: E no easy to declare one clear winner between Meta and Twitter. Both platforms offer unique features and get loyal communities. Meta dey try bring something new with di Threads feature, but e go take time to grow dia user base and see how people go embrace am. Twitter still dey on top for real-time news, trends, and di vibrant community.
At di end of di day, e depend on your personal preference. If you appreciate clean design and enjoy to explore new threads, Meta fit be your go-to app. But if you dey thrive for di fast-paced nature and real-time conversations, Twitter go still capture your attention.
Di choice dey for your hand. Whether you choose Meta or stick with Twitter, di most important thing na to enjoy di social media experience and connect with di world. So, make you continue to tweet or thread, and make we see how dis competition go play out for di online space. π±π