Meta wins US antitrust case over WhatsApp, Instagram acquisitions

By Dilara Zengin Okay and Gokhan Ergocun

WASHINGTON (AA) - A US federal judge has ruled that tech giant Meta is not a monopoly in the social networking market, dismissing an antitrust case brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the company’s acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram.

Washington District Court Judge James Boasberg said the FTC failed to prove its claim that Meta monopolized the market and maintained its dominance by purchasing rivals.

“The court ultimately finds that YouTube and TikTok belong in the product market, and they prevent Meta from holding a monopoly,” Boasberg wrote. “Even if YouTube is out, including TikTok alone defeats the FTC’s case.”

The judge concluded that Meta does not hold a monopoly position in the relevant market and ruled in the company’s favor.

The FTC sued Meta in 2020, arguing that the company illegally consolidated power in the social media market through its $1 billion purchase of Instagram in 2012 and its $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014.

Meta also owns Facebook and Threads.