Facebook's rivals reportedly contacted by DOJ as part of antitrust probe

The US Department of Justice has reportedly been setting up interviews with Facebook's rivals as part of an antitrust investigation into the world's largest social network, a sign that the agency is moving forward with its probe. 

The Information, citing an email from the Justice Department, reported on Monday that the agency is reaching out to social media executives to learn about "the competitive landscape of the industry, along with their perspectives on and relationship to Facebook."

Reports about the Justice Department's antitrust investigation into Facebook surfaced in September. The social network is already facing probes by the Federal Trade Commission, the House antitrust committee and a group of state attorneys general. While the FTC's investigation is reportedly focused on Facebook's acquisitions such as Instagram, the Justice Department is looking into separate behavior, according to a report by Bloomberg. 

The FTC has also reached out to Facebook's competitors as part of its probe, including its rival Snap, The Wall Street Journal reported in September. Snap reportedly kept a dossier of documents that outlined Facebook's "aggressive tactics" to thwart competition and had been talking to the FTC about them. 

Antitrust concerns are part of a long list of issues that have been plaguing Facebook. In July, the FTC hit Facebook with a record $5 billion fine for its privacy mishaps. 

Facebook, the DOJ and Snap declined to comment. TikTok didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Originally published Jan. 27 at 4:27 p.m. PT
Update, 5:25 p.m.: Adds response from Facebook and Snap; Jan. 28: Adds response from DOJ.