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A JUDGE in the United States (US) refused to dismiss the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) antitrust lawsuit against the company Meta, formerly Facebook. The results of the lawsuit have the potential to split the tech giant.
After refusing to dismiss the lawsuit last year, a judge gave the FTC the green light to continue its lawsuit to force Mark Zuckerberg to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.
The FTC accused Meta of holding an unlawful monopoly in the private social networking service and defended it by acquiring competitors such as photo-sharing app Instagram and instant messaging app, WhatsApp.
The judge, named James Boasberg, said in an opinion piece this week that the FTC complaint had changed Boasberg’s mind. Meta’s motion to reject the lawsuit has been rejected.
In contrast to the previous lawsuit, the FTC has strengthened it with a specific charge that Facebook maintains a dominant market share, according to the Metro website, Friday, January 14, 2022.
“Facebook’s market share that exceeds the level normally considered by the courts is sufficient to establish monopoly power,” Judge Boasberg said. However, he noted that the FTC may find other evidence of the acquisition of Whatsapp and Instagram.
According to a Meta spokesperson, the decision has narrowed the scope of the FTC case by rejecting claims about the company’s platform policies.
“Our investments in Instagram and WhatsApp turned it into what it is today. Both are great for competition and great for the people and businesses that choose to use our products,” said a Meta spokesperson.
Meta also continues to try to dismiss the lawsuit by accusing FTC Chief Lina Khan of having a personal conflict or financial interest. But the court deemed the accusations too exaggerated. [sources/photo special]
