Meta Asks Judge to Dismiss FTC Antitrust Case Over Social Media Monopoly

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, has requested that a federal judge dismiss the US Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) antitrust case, arguing the agency has failed to prove that Meta maintains an unlawful monopoly in the social media space, Reuters reports.

The request came during an ongoing trial in Washington, DC, which began on April 14. The FTC is seeking to unwind Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, which took place over a decade ago, claiming the purchases were intended to eliminate emerging competitors and cement Meta’s dominance in the market for personal social networking services.

Meta argued on Thursday that the FTC has not met the legal standard required to support its claims. According to the company, the agency’s definition of the relevant market—platforms used primarily for sharing updates with friends and family—is too narrow and unsupported by the evidence presented so far. Meta contends that the broader social media landscape includes a wide variety of competing platforms that attract user attention, including TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, Snapchat, and X (formerly Twitter).

“The through line connecting all of these social apps is that each vies to show the most compelling user-generated content so that it can take as much user time and attention as possible from the other apps, including Meta’s apps,” the company said in its court filing.

Meta also pointed to evidence introduced at trial suggesting that Instagram experienced significant growth after its acquisition, and that WhatsApp did not intend to evolve into a direct competitor to Facebook. The company further cited internal documents indicating that CEO Mark Zuckerberg was aware of WhatsApp’s limited ambitions prior to finalizing the deal.

If US District Judge James Boasberg grants Meta’s request for judgment based on the current evidence, it could bring an early end to the trial. However, the judge may opt to wait until the trial concludes before issuing a ruling. The proceedings are expected to continue into June, with Meta currently presenting its defense.

Should the court determine that Meta does hold an unlawful monopoly, the case would proceed to a second phase to consider potential remedies. These could include structural changes, such as the divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp.

The FTC has not yet commented publicly on Meta’s dismissal request. Final briefs and closing arguments from both sides are expected following the conclusion of Meta’s presentation of evidence.