The seven-week trial between Meta and the FTC has ended, and a decision now rests in US District Judge James Boasberg's hands as to whether Meta holds an illegal monopoly in social media.
The FTC claims that Meta's purchases of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 were intended to reduce competition and strengthen its dominance in personal social networking — and it brought lots of proof to the table, including e-mails from Mark Zuckerberg that just about say that. If the FTC wins, Meta might have to sell one or both platforms.
Meta denies the allegations that it's a monopoly and claims that it faces strong competition from TikTok, YouTube, and iMessage, among others. The company also argues that its services compete in various sectors beyond just social networking like entertainment and commerce.
Judge Boasberg says the key question he must answer is how to define social media, which has changed rapidly over the past decade as platforms have branched out into entertainment, gaming, and commerce.
A senior FTC. official said in a press call last week:
“This case presents a very important legal principle, which is that a firm that is a monopolist cannot acquire its most threatening competitors. Antitrust law requires competition on the merits, even in digital markets, and it’s competition on the merits that drives innovation and ultimately helps consumers.”
Both sides will have the chance to file follow-up briefings this summer. Judge Boasberg said he would work “expeditiously” to issue an opinion.