The FTC initially filed its suit last December in hopes of undoing Facebook’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. It alleged that the buyouts harm competition and give consumers few choices for personal social networking. It also leaves advertisers with fewer competitive choices.
Facebook moved to dismiss the case, arguing that the accusations were meritless and did not prove that the company held monopoly power. In June, a judge agreed with Facebook, saying that the case was “legally insufficient.” However, he allowed the FTC to bring back an amended suit, which it filed in August.
