Overview
- U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled on Tuesday that Meta does not have to divest Instagram or WhatsApp.
- He found the FTC failed to prove Meta currently holds monopoly power in the relevant market, citing competitive pressure from TikTok and YouTube.
- The FTC had sought to unwind Meta’s 2012 Instagram and 2014 WhatsApp deals as unlawful efforts to protect dominance, and it said it is evaluating an appeal.
- The court said the agency’s reliance on past daily-active-user shares and quality claims for largely free services did not establish present market control.
- The decision marks a setback for U.S. antitrust enforcement and could constrain future attempts to secure structural remedies in Big Tech cases.