Documents obtained by NBC News show that Facebook executives, including CEO Zuckerberg, had multiple discussions around selling user data to firms. The company eventually decided to give data to developers whom Zuckerberg considered personal “friends,” or to those who spent money on Facebook and shared their own data with the firm. It also denied rivals access to its data. Facebook denied claims of preferential treatment based on ad-spending or personal relationships. (NBC News)

Talking point: Facebook reportedly used its data to disadvantage its competitors. However, its biggest threat isn’t competition, but antitrust regulation, which is meant to promote fair competition among firms for consumer benefit. It’s difficult to build antitrust cases against companies that provide services to users for free, as many social-media companies do. But if it can be shown that users essentially paid for access to Facebook through their personal data, and that the company then leveraged that data against competitors, antitrust regulators may have a case.