FTC says it will appeal Meta antitrust decision
The Federal Trade Commission announced Tuesday that it will appeal the November ruling in favor of Meta in its antitrust case against the social media giant.
The FTC said it continues to allege that, for more than a decade, Meta Platforms Inc. has “unlawfully maintained a monopoly” in social media through anticompetitive behavior “by purchasing the significant competitive threats it identified in Instagram and WhatsApp.”
Meta has overcome an existential challenge to its business that could have forced the tech giant to part ways with Instagram and WhatsApp after a judge ruled that the company does not have a monopoly on social media.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg issued his ruling Nov. 18 after the landmark antitrust trial concluded in late May. His decision stands in stark contrast to two separate rulings that found Google an illegal monopoly in online search and advertising, dealing regulatory blows to the tech industry that has enjoyed years of near-frantic growth.
A representative for Meta did not immediately respond to a message for comment Tuesday.
