The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is allowed to pursue its lawsuit against Facebook over antitrust issues.
The FTC accuses Facebook – now renamed Meta – of monopolizing by gobbling up competition through acquisitions. This pertains to Facebook’s purchase of both Instagram and WhatsApp.
The agency has asked Facebook to sell both platforms, which it acquired in 2012 and 2014, respectively.
An earlier version of the case was dismissed in court last year for lack of detail.
The FTC has since enhanced the case, and a federal judge has agreed that the updated case will finally go to trial.
A Meta spokesperson expressed confidence that it will emerge victorious against the FTC.
Judge James Boasberg approved the case, writing: “In stark contrast with its predecessor, this complaint provides reinforcing, specific allegations that all point toward the same conclusion: Facebook has maintained a dominant market share during the relevant time period.”
Boasberg also ordered the FTC to drop a series of allegations about Facebook’s platform policies that the social media giant had already changed.
The White House welcomed the decision to let the case proceed.
“Certainly we are encouraged by the district court’s decision”, White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. “We’ve been clear and he (President Joe Biden) has been clear we need more competition in the tech industry.”
For more information, read the original story in the BBC.
