Meta heads to court over alleged illegal monopoly that could force it to sell Instagram, Whatsapp

BusinessThe U.S. Federal Trade Commission claims that by acquiring Whatsapp and Instagram, the Facebook parent company aimed to eliminate competitors who could threaten Facebook’s status as the go-to social media platform.FTC claims that by acquiring Whatsapp and Instagram, Meta aimed to eliminate competitorsThomson Reuters · Posted: Apr 14, 2025 11:35 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoA woman holds a smartphone with the Facebook logo in front of a display of the Meta logo. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission argues Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp more than a decade ago make it an illegal monopoly in the social media industry. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)Facebook parent Meta Platforms faces a high-stakes trial in Washington starting on Monday on claims it built an illegal social media monopoly by spending billions of dollars to acquire Instagram and WhatsApp, in a case where U.S. antitrust enforcers seek to unwind the deals.The acquisitions more than a decade ago aimed to eliminate competitors who could threaten Facebook’s status as the go-to social media platform for users to connect with friends and family, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission claims. It filed the case in 2020, during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term.The FTC is trying to force Meta to restructure or sell parts of its business. That means if the
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