Meta to Face FTC Antitrust Trial Over Instagram, WhatsApp Acquisitions

Nov 13, 2024, 03:11 PM

Meta Platforms, the owner of Facebook, must face a trial in a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit seeking its breakup over claims that it bought Instagram and WhatsApp to eliminate competition in social media. The FTC won an important legal motion in this case. The case, initially filed by the Trump administration's FTC in December 2020 and pursued by Lina Khan, has now cleared its final legal hurdle nearly four years later. A federal judge in Washington, Judge Boasberg, has ruled that Meta will face a scaled-back antitrust trial, dismissing some of the FTC's allegations. At trial, Meta will not be allowed to argue that the WhatsApp acquisition boosted competition by strengthening its position against Apple and Google.