As reported by The Verge, FTC Chair Lina Khan “outlined her new priorities for the agency” in a memo that circulated from her office to Commission staff.  Quoting the story, Khan wants the agency “to focus on power imbalance, reduce harms to consumers, and address ‘rampant consolidation.’ Khan wrote that the agency should focus its efforts and adjust its strategic approach to deal with the issues created by ‘next-generation technologies, innovations, and nascent industries across sectors.’”

Khan’s comments about how the FTC thinks about antitrust enforcement may also apply to the FTC’s consumer protection mission.  Khan said that the FTC should “take a ‘holistic’ approach to how it considers antitrust violations, which can prove harmful to independent businesses and workers as well as consumers. ‘Business models that centralize control and profits while outsourcing risk, liability, and costs also warrant particular scrutiny, given that deeply asymmetric relationships between the controlling firm and dependent entities can be ripe for abuse.’ Khan added that the FTC should take on “conflicts of interest, business models, or structural dominance.”