President Trump had originally brought the allegations against the company during his first term.
The long-awaited trial began Monday in the antitrust case of President Donald Trump’s Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Meta, the social media company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The trial will review the allegations that Meta engaged in monopolistic behavior after purchasing Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.
President Biden’s administration made the adjustments necessary to move the antitrust case forward to trial, but the case was initially filed by the FTC during the final year of President Trump’s first term. This trial is also the first major action of the FTC since President Donald Trump removed two commissioners from the five-panel board earlier this year.
Regarding the purchase of Instagram and WhatsApp, the FTC stated in its filing, “Acquiring these competitive threats has enabled Facebook to sustain its dominance—to the detriment of competition and users—not by competing on the merits, but by avoiding competition.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Chairman Ferguson to be prudent as he presides over the FTC.
- For the government’s legal representatives as they make the antitrust case in court.
Sources: The Hill, CNBC
