Big Tech Critic Lina Khan Sworn in as US Federal Trade Commission Chair
Lina Khan, an antitrust researcher focused on Big Tech’s immense market power, was sworn in on Tuesday as chair of the US Federal Trade Commission, a victory for progressives seeking a clampdown on tech firms who hold a hefty share of a growing sector of the economy.
Hours earlier, the US Senate had confirmed Khan, with bipartisan support.
She recently taught at Columbia Law School. Previously, as a staffer for the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust panel, she helped write a massive report alleging abuses of market dominance by Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google parent Alphabet.
“We applaud President Biden and the Senate for recognising the urgent need to address runaway corporate power,” advocacy group Public Citizen said in a statement.
US Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted that the administration’s selection of Khan was “tremendous news.”
“With Chair Khan at the helm, we have a huge opportunity to make big, structural change by reviving antitrust enforcement and fighting monopolies that threaten our economy, our society, and our democracy,” Warren said in a separate statement.
