Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Technology Antitrust topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council asks federal government to maintain antitrust litigation against Meta; resolution adopted
Summary
Philadelphia City Council voted to urge the federal government to continue its antitrust litigation aimed at breaking up Meta Platforms, citing concerns about misinformation, surveillance and market concentration raised by civic and tech justice groups.
Philadelphia City Council unanimously adopted a resolution on May 29 calling on the federal government to maintain its antitrust litigation that could break up Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The measure drew a mix of privacy, technology and civil‑rights groups to the podium, who described risks from concentrated social‑media ownership and surveillance‑driven harms.
The resolution urges federal antitrust enforcement to continue and asks the city’s congressional delegation and federal agencies to preserve litigation paths that address market concentration, the clerk read. The council adopted the resolution without recorded opposition.
Councilmember Kendra Brooks sponsored the measure, which community advocates said was urgent because of the outsized role a single company plays in local information flows, youth culture and civic life. In public comment, Hannah Sassaman of the Philly Tech Justice Collective said the resolution is a step toward “holding Meta accountable” and urged the council to follow up with hearings on the city's own purchases of surveillance and AI technologies.
Jordan Bedingham of the People's Tech Project told council that Meta’s algorithms have been used to target minority communities and to spread disinformation; he called for more local oversight of how city departments buy and use surveillance tools. “We hope this council will call hearings regarding the purchasing and utilization of tech by city departments,” Bedingham said.
Other commenters described harms to digital privacy and community trust. Hannah Weinstein asked the council to use the momentum from the resolution to examine how municipal purchases of cameras, drones and AI tools threaten residents’ data and safety.
Why it matters: The nonbinding resolution is a local expression of support for federal antitrust action and an attempt to shift public discussion toward corporate concentration and digital surveillance. Advocates said the policy goal is to reduce Meta’s market power and to increase competition in platforms that shape how Philadelphians access news and services.
What happens next: The resolution directs the council’s leadership to transmit the city’s position to congressional and federal antitrust authorities; it does not itself change municipal procurement rules. Advocates asked for subsequent council hearings on the city’s technology spending and the equity impacts of algorithmic tools used by city departments.
