Meta’s antitrust trial could force Zuckerberg to sell Instagram

A trial of a breakthrough monopoly against social media giant meta began in Washington on Monday.

Lawyers of the US and Consumer Watch Dogs argue that Meta illegally suppressed competitors by purchasing Instagram and Whatsapp ten years ago.

Daniel Matheson, a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawyer, said, “They decided that it would be easier to buy rivals than competing with competitors.

META reviewed and approved the FTC’s lawsuit.

Meta said, “It acquired Instagram and WhatsApp to improve and grow with Facebook, the company’s lawyer Mark Hansen insisted.

The victory of the FTC was able to break up the company by Mark Zuckerberg CEO.

This may include whatsApp injection of photo sharing app Instagram and messaging service.

The FTC said the company overcame it when the company acquired Instagram for $ 1 billion in 2012. Two years later, whatsApp was purchased for $ 19 billion.

“that [FTC’s] Vanderbild Law School, a monopoly professor of prohibition of REBECCA HAW Allensworth, argues that the acquisition of Instagram’s Instagram is a way to neutralize the competition threat to Facebook.

Allensworth says Zuckerberg’s words, including his email, can provide the most convincing evidence in the trial.

Allensworth said, “He said it was better to buy than competing.

On Monday, Matheson mentioned Zuckerberg’s 2012 memo and discussed the importance of “neutral” Instagram. Matheson called the message “smoking gun”.

Meta, on the other hand, said that the purchase improved the consumer experience.

Hansen said on Monday that “acquisitions for improvement and growth” have never been identified as illegal.

The company argues that we are facing competition with many other apps, including Tiktok, X, YouTube and IMessage.

Zuckerberg and the company’s chief executive officer, Sheryl Sandberg, is expected to testify in the trial that can take place in this trial.

The FTC V META was raised by the US president’s first executive, but there is a risk of being politicized during the second term.

Zuckerberg lobbied Trump to the FTC dropped the case. According to the Wall Street Journal.

When the BBC asked to check the report, Meta avoided this question. But “FTC’s lawsuit against meta ignores reality.”

A meta spokesman told the BBC, “After 10 years of reviewing and liquidating the acquisition, the committee’s actions send a message that trading is not really final.”

Since Trump was banned from Meta’s social media platform after the US parliamentary riots in January 2021, the relationship between Zuckerberg and Trump was partially Frosty.

There is a relationship since then It was somewhat thawed.

Meta Contributed Dana White, a $ 1 million (764,400 pound), former Trump advisor DINA POWELL MCCOONSHIP, and Dana White, were added to this year’s meta board.

Company presentation In January, it was moving away from independent facts confirmers I agreed to pay Trump spent $ 25 million to resolve his lawsuit against his account suspension after Capital’s riot on January 6, 2021.

President Trump resolved this case, which is trying to dismiss two FTC members in March.

As a Democratic Party, Rebecca Kelly and Alvaro Bedaya were in a small number of five -seat commissions.

By Wednesday, the seats were filled with two seats by the Republican Party. It was another Republican circle check Thursday by the Senate.

The massacre and Bedaya, who are suing to restore the Trump administration, say that the movement to push them is intimidating.

“The president sent a very clear signal not only to us but also to President Ferguson and the committee. [Melissa] Hollyoak said they could be fired if they did what they didn’t like. “The massacre told the BBC in a recent interview.

“So if they don’t want to give favor to political allies, they are in the Domo Block,” said Slaighter.

The massacre and Bedoya expressed their alarm in a recent report on Zuckerberg’s lobby efforts.

Bedoya told the BBC, “My hope is that there is no political interference.

The FTC did not respond to the BBC’s request.

Ferguson, recently appointed chairman of FTC by Trump, recently Sayed When he asks what he will do when he instructs the president to withdraw a lawsuit, such as a lawsuit against Meta, he will “obey legal orders.”

Ferguson added that it would be very surprised if that happened.

The FTC is considered a major monopoly monopoly monitor. In recent years, it has returned hundreds of millions of dollars to fraud victims in addition to passing the law that prohibits junk fees and subscription traps.

However, as the meta test begins, one of the many independent regulators seems to be worried about the administration.

Ferguson Chairman is also recently quotation Independence regulators reaffirmed his belief that “not good for democracy.”

FTC V META is set to enter what is known as another major exclusive prohibition, the USA V Google-treatment stage.

The Ministry of Justice won the first stage of the case when Judge Amit Mehta had a monopoly in online search and found a market share of about 90%.

Last month, doj repeat In the BIDEN administration, the court demands to disassemble Google’s search monopoly.

Laura Phillips-Sawyer, an associate professor of business lawyer at Georgia University, says it will be more difficult to prove the case of FTC for meta.

Phillips-Sawyer said of the FTC, “I think they are in a real uphill battle.”

“I have a long length before considering the sale of Instagram or whatsapp.”

PHILLIPS-SAWYER said that compared to online search, there is more competition in the private network service space operated by Meta.