https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/22/17380982/mark-zuckerberg-european-parliament-meeting-monopoly-antitrust-breakup-question

European Parliament members asked Mark Zuckerberg today whether Facebook was a monopoly that potentially needed breaking up, echoing concerns voiced in the United States. In a conference with Zuckerberg, German MEP Manfred Weber asked whether the Facebook CEO could name a single European alternative to his “empire,” which includes apps like WhatsApp and Instagram in addition to Facebook. “I think it’s time to discuss breaking up Facebook’s monopoly, because it’s already too much power in only one hand,” said Weber. “So I ask you simply, and that is my final question: can you convince me not to do so?”

The question was later picked up by Belgian MEP Guy Verhofstadt. “You cannot convince him, because it’s nonsense actually,” said Verhofstadt. “You have given the example of Twitter, you have given the example, I think, of Google as some of your competitors. But it’s like somebody who has a monopoly in making cars is saying ‘Look, I have a monopoly in making cars, but it is no problem. You can take a plane, you can take a train, you can even take your bike!’” He asked whether Facebook would cooperate with European antitrust authorities to determine whether the company was indeed a monopoly, and if it was, whether Facebook would accept splitting off WhatsApp or Messenger to remedy the problem.