Lina Khan on track to be nominated to FTC: source

[March 09, 2021]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lina Khan, who has a reputation for being a progressive on antitrust with a special interest in Big Tech, is on track to be nominated to the Federal Trade Commission, a source with knowledge of the situation said on Tuesday.

Her nomination, if it goes forward, would signal a tougher stance toward the tech platforms, especially following the selection of fellow antitrust progressive Tim Wu to join the National Economic Council.

Khan, a professor at Columbia Law School, was on the staff of the House Judiciary Committee's antitrust panel which wrote a massive report last year about the major tech companies, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Alphabet.

The FTC works with the Justice Department to enforce antitrust law and also investigates companies accused of deceptive advertising.

Politico, which first reported the potential nomination, also reported that an FBI agent had made calls to Khan's associates as part of a background check for the position.

The White House declined comment. Khan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Diane Bartz; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

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