Source: AFP
Facebook giant Meta on Friday asked a federal judge to throw out a case by a powerful US antitrust authority that could see the social media giant forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.
The lawsuit, filed in December 2020 by the Federal Trade Commission, focuses on Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, which the FTC says stifled competition in the social networking market.
In its usual practice of trying to get the case dismissed before trial, Meta said in a motion that its acquisitions were “good for consumers and business” and won FTC approval when they were made.
“The FTC reviewed both acquisitions years ago and allowed them to close. The decision to review the deals that were made is tantamount to announcing that no sale will ever be final,” Meta said in a statement.
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Meta also argued that TikTok and YouTube were absent from the FTC’s definition of the social media market, “ignoring many of the more popular activities that people engage in on Facebook and Instagram.”
The substance of the FTC’s case alleges that Meta achieved “monopoly power” by acquiring these potentially rival platforms.
The case suffered a setback in June 2021 when a judge dismissed the original complaint. However, the FTC re-filed an amended lawsuit in August 2021, successfully surviving Meta’s attempt to have it thrown out.
The FTC has until May 30 to offer a counterargument to Meta’s objection to the judge. no trial has been set for the case.
A trial victory by the FTC could reshape the online landscape, potentially dealing a significant blow to Meta’s dominance of the social media ecosystem.
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The FTC and the US Department of Justice, which share antitrust enforcement, have launched a series of high-profile cases against US tech giants in recent years.
The case against Google over its dominant search engine could be decided by a federal judge by the end of the year.
Source: AFP