Meta is on the brink of a pivotal ruling in an antitrust lawsuit brought against the tech giant. A Washington court announced on Monday that Meta will stand trial in April next year over allegations from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to suppress emerging competition.
The FTC filed the lawsuit in 2020 during the Trump administration, accusing Meta, then operating as Facebook, of unlawfully maintaining its monopoly over personal social networks.
The regulatory agency contends that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 for substantial sums were strategic moves to eliminate potential rivals rather than to compete organically within the mobile ecosystem.
Judge James Boasberg has set the trial date for April 14, 2025.
Earlier this month, Boasberg rejected Meta’s argument that the lawsuit fails to account for competition from other platforms, including ByteDance’s TikTok, Alphabet’s YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), and Microsoft’s LinkedIn. He remarked that Meta’s defense relies on an overly narrow interpretation of the social media market.
At the same time, Boasberg acknowledged that the FTC faces significant hurdles, as the passage of time and rapid technological advancements have complicated its market definition. Despite these challenges, the case will proceed to trial.
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