Legal scholar Lina Khan, at 32, is possibly the youngest head the Federal Trade Commission. Going by her past record as a relentless critic of Big Tech, President Biden’s choice signals a tough stance against Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple whose power and influence are going to be challenged.

Khan, a professor at Columbia University Law School, is best known for her book-length paper, “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox,” published in the Yale Law Journal [https://www.yalelawjournal.org/note/amazons-antitrust-paradox] in 2017 when she was a student at Yale. Amazon’s innovative business model called for a new way of looking at antitrust law, and her painstakingly detailed work provided the foundation for the new legal understanding of e-commerce. Daughter of a Pakistani immigrant couple, she went on to serve as counsel to a House Judiciary antitrust panel in 2019 and 2020, she played a key role in a bipartisan investigation of the tech giants’ market dominance.

FTC regulates competition and ensures consumer protection in overall industry. With Khan as chair, monopolies built by tech giants are going to face more scrutiny. Some expect fundamental, structural changes in antitrust enforcement as a follow-up on Biden’s campaign-time promise of breaking up the Silicon Valley corporations. [https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-technology-business-government-and-politics-57d894c1f85a5d6d2ad4d7d05934e4f8]

In taking up the assignment, Khan has promised to “protect the public from corporate abuse.” [https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/06/lina-khan-sworn-chair-ftc] Her appointment is part of a trend underway to reset the ties between the political leadership and Big Tech. Politicians once used to praise Facebook and others for taking the American economy into the digital age and creating jobs, but of late the firms are increasingly perceived as rapacious, power-hungry, overambitious and not exactly a benign force in a democratic society. They are more frequently facing investigations and court actions.

There are, however, some Republican lawmakers who are not part of the trend, and they criticize the “hipster antitrust” movement launched by the likes of Khan and her colleagues. They accuse Democrats of promoting their pet social goals instead of promoting competition and helping business. Tech industry groups have also opposed the appointment of an “activist” that can put the FTC’s impartiality in doubt.

Also see:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/lina-khan-critic-of-large-tech-firms-confirmed-for-federal-trade-commission-11623774742

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/06/15/khan-ftc-confirmation-vote/

https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/15/22527709/lina-khan-ftc-commissioner-competition-facebook-amazon-google-apple