Biden names Lina Khan to key regulatory post
US president Joe Biden has named London-born legal prodigy Lina Khan, 32, a prominent advocate of breaking up Big Tech firms to a key regulatory post.
Biden’s announcement raised eyebrows given Khan’s aggressive stance against big tech giants and the power they hold, further signaling Biden crackdown on technology giants.
The White House said it was submitting the nomination of Lina Khan, an associate professor of law at Columbia University’s law school, to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), an agency with authority over some mergers and antitrust policy. If confirmed, Khan will become the youngest-ever FTC commissioner.
Khan previously served as counsel to the US House of Representatives’ subcommittee on antitrust, which last year released a lengthy report suggesting grounds for breaking up giants such as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple.
She also authored a 2017 paper called ‘Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox,’ which outlined the growing dominance of the e-commerce and tech giant, which some say helped shift sentiment on antitrust.
Khan worked in the office of Federal Trade Commission member Rohit Chopra and was legal director at the Open Markets Institute, a think tank which has been highly critical of the Silicon Valley giants.
Born to Pakistani parents who worked as a management consultant and an information services executive, Khan developed a reputation for being a softly spoken but formidable student, reported The Telegraph.
The move to confirm Khan is likely to trigger a contentious nomination fight, with some Republicans already expressing opposition to her.
Utah senator Mike Lee said earlier this month that ‘being less than four years out of law school,’ Khan ‘lacks the experience necessary for such an important role as FTC Commissioner.’
Additionally, Lee said, ‘her views on antitrust enforcement are also wildly out of step with a prudent approach to the law’ and that her appointment ‘would signal that President Biden intends to put ideology and politics ahead of competent antitrust enforcement.’
But Charlotte Slaiman of the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge welcomed the news, saying earlier this month that Khan’s appointment ‘will signal that antitrust enforcement and important competition policy changes will be a high priority.’
If her nomination is confirmed, Khan will gain an influential position that will place her at the forefront of US opposition to technology giants.
The FTC is currently waging a legal battle against Facebook in an attempt to undo its purchases of Instagram and WhatsApp. Adding Khan to the FTC’s commission could see the agency take an even closer link at the activities of technology giants.