Watch Sen. Graham grill Mark Zuckerberg on whether Facebook is a monopoly

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is testifying before two Senate committees on Tuesday over the Cambridge Analytica scandal and revelations about the platform’s role in the dissemination of Russian disinformation during the 2016 presidential campaign.

In a sharp line of questioning, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) asked Zuckerberg if Facebook has a monopoly on the kind of service it provides for its more than 2 billion users.

“If I buy a Ford and it doesn’t work well and I don’t like it, I can buy a Chevy,” Graham said during Tuesday’s hearing. “If I’m upset with Facebook, what’s the equivalent product that I can go sign up for?”

Zuckerberg stumbled, noting that other tech companies overlap with what Facebook does. But he didn’t say there are other companies that make the same product, so to speak.

It’s a worthwhile issue for Graham to bring up. As Vox has covered elsewhere, many tech companies including Facebook provide services no one else does, in part because they’re so big that they can buy the competition. A customer would be hard-pressed to find another website that provides the ability to connect with others like Facebook does.

(Thought experiment: If you switched back to MySpace, would that help you stay in touch with your friends and family?)

That’s why the Graham-Zuckerberg exchange is so important. It gets to the heart of the power that companies like Facebook have — and whether Congress has a role in regulating the size and scope of these companies.

Here’s video as well as a transcript of the entire exchange:

Lindsey Graham

Who is your biggest competitor?

Mark Zuckerberg

Senator, we have a lot of competitors.

Lindsey Graham

Who’s your biggest?

Mark Zuckerberg

I think the categories — did you want just one? I’m not sure I can give one. But can I give a bunch?

Lindsey Graham

Mmhmm.

Mark Zuckerberg

There are three categories that I would focus on. One are the other tech platforms, so Google, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft; we overlap with them in different ways.

Lindsey Graham

Do they provide the same service you provide?

Mark Zuckerberg

In different ways, different parts of it, yes.

Lindsey Graham

Let me put it this way: If I buy a Ford and it doesn’t work well and I don’t like it, I can buy a Chevy. If I’m upset with Facebook, what’s the equivalent product that I can go sign up for?

Mark Zuckerberg

Well, the second category that I was going to talk about —

Lindsey Graham

I’m not talking about categories. What I’m talking is the real competition you face.

Because car companies face a lot of competition. If they make a defective car, it gets out in the world, people stop being that car and buy another one.

Is there an alternative to Facebook in the private sector?

Mark Zuckerberg

Yes, Senator. The average American uses eight different apps to communicate with their friends and stay in touch with people.

Lindsey Graham

Okay.

Mark Zuckerberg

Ranging from text apps to email —

Lindsey Graham

Which is the same service you provide?

Mark Zuckerberg

Well, we provide a number of different services.

Lindsey Graham

Is Twitter the same as what you do?

Mark Zuckerberg

It overlaps with a portion of what we do.

Lindsey Graham

You don’t think you have a monopoly?

Mark Zuckerberg

It certainly doesn’t feel like that to me.

Lindsey Graham

So it doesn’t. So you bought Instagram? Why did you buy Instagram?

Mark Zuckerberg

Because they were very talented app developers who are making good use of our platform and understood our values.

Lindsey Graham

It was a good business decision.

My point is that one way to regulate is through competition, through government regulation. Here’s the question that all of us got to answer: What do we tell our constituents, given what’s happened here, why we should let you self-regulate?

What would you tell people in South Carolina, that given all the things we’ve just discovered here, it’s a good idea for us to rely upon you to regulate your own business practices?

Mark Zuckerberg

Well, Senator, my position is not that there should be no regulation.

Lindsey Graham

Okay.

Mark Zuckerberg

I think the internet is increasing —

Lindsey Graham

Do you embrace regulation?

Mark Zuckerberg

I think the real question, as the internet becomes more important in people’s lives, is what’s the right regulation? Not whether there should be or not.

Lindsey Graham

But you as a company welcome regulation?

Mark Zuckerberg

I think if it’s a right regulation, then yes.

Lindsey Graham

Do you think the Europeans have it right?

Mark Zuckerberg

I think that they get things right.

Lindsey Graham

That’s true.

So would you work with us in terms of what regulations you think are necessary in your industry?

Mark Zuckerberg

Absolutely.

Contributions are a key part of the future of Vox

Readers rely on Vox for clear, nuanced coverage that not only illuminates the issues, but poses solutions, too. And we rely on help from our readers: Advertising and grants cover the majority of our costs, but we count on contributions to help us close the gaps in our budget. In fact, we’re looking to reach 95,000 individual contributions before the end of the year. Will you make the next contribution right now? Our average gift is just $20 — and it goes a long way in helping us keep our work free. Vox is here to help everyone understand what’s shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. Join that mission by making a contribution today.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via