In Tuesday’s hearing at the ludicrously named International Grand Committee on Disinformation and ‘fake news’ in London, it became clearer than ever what the social network giant is trying to keep out of the public discussion: antitrust. Instead, Richard Allan, Facebook’s European lobbying chief, took questions, and the committee ensured there was an empty seat behind a placard with Zuckerberg’s name on it — a barely disguised effort to generate a photo opportunity for the morning newspapers. Allan seemed willing to give ground on regulation, but with caveats.
