A decisive court fight with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) began on Monday (April 14), the original company of the Meta Platform, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The test, which may potentially lead to Mark Zuckerberg’s breakup, marks the most important legal challenge in its 20 -year history.
Inauguration argument starts – day 1
FTC accused Mata of competitive conduct
The FTC alleged that Meta has misused its major position in the social media market by effectively competing and consolidated power to potential rivals Instagram and WhatsApp.
“Nothing is wrong with Meta Innovating,” said FTC chief lawyer Daniel Matheson in his initial statements for the agency. “This is the one that is ahead which is a problem.”
The FTC argues that the meta strategy was to buy the growing contestants instead of getting out of them and “eliminate immediate threats”. The agency is demanding to force Meta to divide both platforms and provide advance notices for future acquisitions.
Meta defends its acquisition
In response, Meta dismissed allegations of monopoly power. Attorney Mark Hansen, who represented Meta, emphasized that both Instagram and WhatsApp thrive under the company’s stereotypes.
“Two apps have increased to a great extent in Meta ownership,” Hansen said. “There is no evidence that meta is a monopoly.”
He said that Meta provides its services for free, challenging the monopoly argument of FTC: “How can FTC maintain this monopoly case when he has never charged users one percent?”
Meta is for the future
Whether FTC should win, Meta can be ordered to divide Instagram and WhatsApp, which are important revenue generators for the company. The results of the test can set an example for how aggressively the US government can regulate large technical merger.
Major witnesses and timelines
The test is expected to last several weeks under the chairmanship of US District Judge James Boseberg. Major data expected to testify include:
Mark Zuckerberg CEO and Founder
Sheryl Sandberg, East Meta COO
Mike Shrofar, East CTO
Kevin System, Instagram co-founder
Executive officer from rival social media companies
Opening arguments were concluded on Monday morning, with witness testimony starting in the afternoon.
What is the matter?
FTC first filed a case against Meta in 2020 during Donald Trump’s presidency. In 2021, Judge Boseberg initially dismissed the case citing lack of adequate evidence. However, FTC later submitted a revised complaint, which was allowed to move forward, which led to Monday’s test.
This test represents a significant twist in the ongoing battle on antitrust enforcement in the digital age – and whether platforms such as meta can be held accountable to previous acquisitions that were re -shaped to the social media scenario.