Facebook Says F.T.C. Has Opened Formal Antitrust Investigation

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook said on Wednesday that it was informed by the Federal Trade Commission last month that the agency had opened an antitrust investigation into the company and its business practices.

The social network disclosed the investigation in its quarterly earnings announcement. While the F.T.C. was known to be looking into Facebook antitrust issues, it has not been previously reported that the agency had begun a full investigation.

The announcement dovetails with a separate privacy settlement between the F.T.C. and Facebook, which was also unveiled on Wednesday. In that agreement, Facebook was ordered to create new layers of oversight for its collection and handling of users’ data.

A spokeswoman for the commission confirmed the investigation and declined to comment further.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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