Facebook facing new probe by US Department of Justice

Facebook is apparently facing a fresh regulatory probe from the US Department of Justice, it emerged on Thursday, over the potential breach of antitrust laws.

According to sources cited by Bloomberg', the federal agency opened an investigation at the behest of US Attorney General William Barr.

The news came as the Federal Trade Commission was undertaking its own investigation over potential anticompetitive practices by the social media giant.

While the FTC's probe was focusing on whether Facebook's acquisitions were intended to stifle competition, the Justice Department's investigation would focus on different, separate behaviour, Bloomberg reported.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg met with US lawmakers and president Donald Trump last week, to discuss technology regulation.

The company also recently paid a $5bn settlement for sharing the data of 87 million users with defunct British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.

Large tech firms such as Google and Amazon are facing similar scrutiny from regulators over anticompetitive behaviour, tax and the data privacy of users.

Facebook shares were down more than 1% in premarket trading.