A U.S. federal judge ruled that Meta does not hold a monopoly in the social media market, rejecting the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit seeking divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC, joined by multiple states, filed the suit in December 2020, alleging Meta (formerly Facebook) violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by acquiring Instagram for $1 billion in 2012 and WhatsApp for $19 billion in 2014.
These moves were part of a supposed “buy-or-bury” strategy to eliminate rivals in “personal social networking services” (PSNS), stifling innovation, increasing ads, and weakening privacy. The agency claimed Meta’s dominance left consumers with few alternatives, excluding platforms like TikTok and YouTube from its narrow market definition.
Trial and ruling
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg oversaw a seven-week trial ending in May 2025, featuring testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who highlighted competition from TikTok and YouTube. In an 89-page opinion on November 18, 2025, Boasberg ruled the FTC failed to prove current monopoly power, notin
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