Meta to face FTC trial in April over Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions – Reuters
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Chris Ryan
A U.S. judge said Meta (NASDAQ:META) will face trial in April over allegations brought forward by the Federal Trade Commission that the social media platform bought Instagram and WhatsApp to crush emerging competition, according to a Reuters report from Monday.
Judge James Boasberg rejected Meta’s argument earlier this month when the company told the court the FTC lawsuit is dependent on an overly narrow view of social media markets and does not account for competition from TikTok, YouTube, X, and LinkedIn.
He has now set the case trial for April 14.
During the Trump administration, the FTC sued Meta, then called Facebook, alleging that the company acted illegally to maintain its social network monopoly.
The FTC alleged that Meta overpaid for Instagram and WhatsApp “to eliminate nascent threats instead of competing on its own in the mobile ecosystem.”