The FTC may force Meta* to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp

The company is accused of dominating the social media industry through its acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp.The FTC has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Meta*, accusing the company of dominating the social media industry through its acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp.The lawsuit could result in the FTC forcing Meta* to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp from its parent company.The FTC's lawsuit was first filed in 2020 — in 2021, Judge James Boasberg dismissed the original lawsuit, but the FTC filed an updated version of the complaint, which the judge still allowed to proceed.In April 2024, Meta* filed a second motion to dismiss the lawsuit, but the judge upheld the FTC’s claims with minor modifications — he dismissed the portion of the lawsuit that alleged Meta* had acted anticompetitively by restricting developers’ access to its APIs if they agreed not to build competing apps.Christopher Sgro, a Meta* spokesman, said the company is confident the court will show that the acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp are good for consumers. Meta* also emphasized that its services compete with YouTube, TikTok, 𝕏, iMessage, and other platforms, indicating that there is active competition in the market.