In the FTC's sights

Meta demands termination of competition proceedings

Facebook parent company Meta has asked a federal judge to dismiss an investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that could force Meta to divest Instagram and WhatsApp. The consumer protection authority FTC (Federal Trade Commission) initiated the investigation in December 2020 after Facebook acquired the online network Instagram and the messenger service WhatsApp. According to the FTC, Meta wanted to undermine competition.

In its application to close the investigation, the tech company has now argued that the two acquisitions were "positive for consumers and businesses". Furthermore, the FTC had given its approval at the time after several years of review. Meta argued that if an investigation is now nevertheless being conducted, this would send the message "that no acquisition is ever final".

Dispute has been going on for years
The legal dispute over the acquisition of Instagram and Whatsapp by the Facebook parent company has been going on for years. In June 2021, a judge halted the first investigation. The FTC then initiated new proceedings in August 2021, which Meta was unable to stop.

The FTC now has until May 30 to present its arguments to the federal judge in favor of continuing the investigation. A date for a hearing has not yet been announced.

Should the FTC successfully take action against the expansion of the Facebook empire, this could permanently change the market for online services, particularly in the event of a break-up of the Meta Group. The FTC and the US Department of Justice have initiated a number of proceedings against tech giants in the fight against market monopolies in recent years, for example against Google due to its dominant position as a search engine. A judge is due to announce a decision in this case at the end of the year.