Meta must face trial in FTC antitrust lawsuit, judge rules

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Meta must face trial in an antitrust case brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the social media giant’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.

U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in a one-page order denied Meta’s request to drop the FTC’s case, though the judge did dismiss one portion of the lawsuit, and said he would hold a hearing later this month to discuss a trial date.

A full opinion explaining the judge’s reasoning was not publicly available as of Wednesday morning. Boasberg said it would be made public later in the day after the parties redact confidential business information.

The FTC sued Meta in 2020, alleging the social media giant has illegally maintained a monopoly on personal social networking through its acquisition of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.

The case has remained in pre-trial proceedings for multiple years. It was initially dismissed in 2021 but the FTC later filed an amended complaint.

Boasberg scheduled a virtual status conference on Nov. 25 to discuss the trial schedule.

Meta, which has denied the FTC’s monopoly allegations, said it would review the opinion when it’s filed.

“We are confident that the evidence at trial will show that the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp have been good for competition and consumers,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. “More than 10 years after the FTC reviewed and cleared these deals, and despite the overwhelming evidence that our services compete with YouTube, TikTok, X, Apple’s iMessage, and many others, the Commission is wrongly continuing to assert that no deal is ever truly final, and businesses can be punished for innovating.”

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