Court should let antitrust lawsuit against Facebook proceed, says US agency

The US Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that a federal court should allow an antitrust lawsuit filed against Facebook to proceed because the company “interfered with the competitive process by targeting nascent threats through exclusionary conduct.” In August the FTC refreshed its antitrust case against Facebook, now Meta Platforms, adding detail on allegations the social media company crushed or bought rivals and asked a judge to force it to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. .

The lawsuit represents one of the most significant challenges the FTC has brought against a tech company in decades, and is being watched closely as Washington aims to tackle Big Tech’s massive market power. In a filing with the US District Court for the District of Columbia, the FTC said that for more than a decade, Facebook’s market share — for example, more than 70 percent of daily active users — tended to establish monopoly power. exceeds the required levels.