Co-founder of Facebook, Chris Hughes, on Thursday called for the splitting of the world’s largest social media company in three.
It is no news that Facebook has been under scrutiny from regulators around the world over data sharing practices as well as hate speech and misinformation on its networks.
In reaction to this, Facebook Inc quickly rejected a call from co-founder Chris Hughes, while lawmakers urged the U.S. Justice Department to launch an antitrust investigation.
According to Reuters, Some U.S. lawmakers have pushed for action to break up big tech companies as well as federal privacy regulation.
Facebook’s social network has more than 2 billion users. It also owns WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram, each used by more than 1 billion people. Facebook bought Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.
Facebook rejected Hughes’ call for WhatsApp and Instagram to be made into separate companies, and said the focus should instead be on regulating the internet.
Hughes co-founded Facebook in 2004 at Harvard with Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz. He left Facebook in 2007, and has said in a LinkedIn post he made half a billion dollars for his three years of work.
“It’s been 15 years since I co-founded Facebook at Harvard, and I haven’t worked at the company in a decade. But I feel a sense of anger and responsibility,” Hughes said.
