Attorney General William Barr has set his sights on big tech companies like Google and Facebook, and has personally taken over the Department of Justice's antitrust probes.
Barr has sidelined the Antitrust Division’s current leadership and placed himself and deputy attorney general Jeffrey Rosen in charge of those matters, and some antitrust experts believe that could put new pressure on tech giants, reported Politico.
“Barr doesn't need future gigs so he can pursue the tech platforms without worry about his future income," said Hal Singer, an antitrust economist and adjunct professor at Georgetown University.
The 69-year-old Barr suggested during his confirmation hearing last year that antitrust would be one of his priorities in his second stint as U.S. attorney general, and he has effectively pushed aside assistant attorney general Makan Delrahim, who had overseen that division for two and a half years.
Delrahim and his deputy, Barry Nigro, had both recused themselves from the Google probe earlier this month because Delrahim had previously done legal work for the company.
Barr had previously clashed with Delrahim when they were on opposite sides during an antitrust fight over AT&T’s 2018 takeover of Time Warner.
The Justice Department is currently looking at potential changes to a 24-year-old federal law shielding online companies from liability for user-generated content, and that process could become an even greater priority under Barr's leadership.
Lawmakers from both parties have said Congress should make changes to the law to restrict tech companies' immunity, but companies such as Google and Reddit say the the 1996 Communications Decency Act has helped the rapid expansion of the internet and promoted free expression.
