Social media major Meta has won big relief as a US judge ruled in its favour in an antitrust case filed by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that could have forced it to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp.
Their acquisitions had led to allegations of Meta, then known as Facebook, trying to corner all online interactions for itself.
District judge James Boasberg, however, ruled that the company hadn’t violated antitrust bounds by snapping the two apps up; the market was still competitive, with players like TikTok and YouTube in the fray.
Though the FTC had argued that the format of these platforms differed, Boasberg observed that social media had evolved and old distinctions had blurred. Even Instagram and Facebook now have short videos, like TikTok.
Meta would be relieved since it relies on Instagram and WhatsApp for its hold on social media as Facebook’s popularity fades.
While it may be off the hook in America, it enjoys near complete dominance of online interactivity in India. Local challengers have been unable to pose any serious rivalry and TikTok is banned. But then, dominance is one thing and its abuse another. And the latter is hard to establish.