Social networking giant Facebook faced lawsuits from the Federal Trade Commission and 48 states and territories on charges of anticompetitive behavior.
Both suits allege that Facebook attempted to maintain a monopoly through anticompetitive acquisitions that target potential rivals, in order to maintain a monopoly position in personal social networking. The lawsuits could require Facebook to divest Instagram and Whatsapp.
Facebook pushed back against the lawsuits.“The most important fact in this case, which the Commission does not mention in its 53-page complaint, is that it cleared these acquisitions years ago,” Facebook’s chief counsel Jennifer Newstead mentioned in a statement. “The government now wants a do-over, sending a chilling warning to American business that no sale is ever final.”