Former Facebook executive says Google, Facebook are 'surveillance states'

Even though he was once an executive at Facebook, Chamath Palihapitiya, CEO of Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings, favors investing in Amazon instead, he told CNBC's "Fast Money: Halftime Report" on Thursday.

President Donald Trump has been a critic of Amazon, tweeting his disdain for coverage from The Washington Post, which is a personal holding of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. But Palihapitiya said he thinks that Facebook and Google face more regulatory risk, given the many retailers that compete with Amazon.

"Amazon is a microscopic portion of global consumption today, so ultimately I think it has more room to grow before it invites regulatory overview," Palihapitiya said. "On the other hand, Facebook and Google effectively are surveillance states. And they have so much personal, private information about so many citizens of so many countries."

Google has already had a tussle with regulators in Europe, after the company was slapped with a record fine in one investigation.

"It's already beginning," Palihapitiya said. "Because it's part and parcel to them realizing that there's too much power unbounded."

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