TECHNOBABBLE: What may come of Facebook antitrust lawsuits?

Earlier this month, the attorneys general for 46 states as well as the District of Columbia and the territory of Guam signed on to an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. South Dakota, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia are the only states to decline joining the lawsuit. Additionally, following a 20-month investigation, the Federal Trade Commission filed its own, separate antitrust lawsuit against Facebook on the same day.The crux of both lawsuits state that Facebook decided to purchase other companies rather than compete with them. The lawsuits seek to force Facebook to divest itself of both Instagram and WhatsApp, though other relief could come into play as time goes on. The lawsuits are separate because the FTC claims that Facebook has violated federal law while the states are claiming that Facebook has violated their state laws.WhatsApp isn’t used much in the U.S., but it is extremely valuable. It’s probably the most widely used messaging app in the world, and Facebook Messenger is not far behind. Instagram is used all over the world by mostly younger people. With these three apps, Facebook is in a strong position to stamp out any kind of competition.The founder of WhatsApp stated that he sold to Facebook…
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