(Image source from: Politico)

A week after Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes published a column in the New York Times calling for the company to break up, the first Indian origin Senator in the United States Kamala Harris said that the U.S. should consider breaking up Facebook.

Harris, one of the Democrats eyeing the White House in the 2020 presidential race said that the world’s largest social media company is “essentially a utility that has gone unregulated”.

The Senator from California said that Facebook has experienced massive growth and has prioritized its growth consumers’ interests, especially on privacy.

“I think we have to seriously take a look at that, yes. When you look at the issue, they’re essentially a utility,” Harris, 54, was quoted as saying in an interview to CNN on Sunday.

“There are very few people that can actually get by, and be involved in their communities and society, or in whatever their profession, without somehow, somewhere using Facebook. It’s very difficult for people to be engaged in any level of commerce without it.”

“So, we have to recognize it for what it is: It is essentially a utility that has gone unregulated. And as far as I’m concerned, that’s got to stop,” Harris added.

In January, Kamala Harris announced that she will be running for 2020 United States presidential election.

Earlier, another Democratic 2020 candidate, Senator Elizabeth Warren had also stressed upon the possibility of breaking up Facebook.

Facebook has been under scrutiny from regulators around the world over data sharing practices.

Facebook is set to pay a fine of anywhere from USD 3 billion to USD 5 billion to the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its handling of users’ data and privacy violations, especially the Cambridge Analytica data scandal which involved 87 million users.

By Sowmya Sangam