Meta Platforms (META) is preparing for the start of a courtroom antitrust battle Monday with the US government in a case that could force Mark Zuckerberg to break up his $1.3 trillion empire and sell one of its crown jewels: Instagram. The government’s case against Meta centers on the Federal Trade Commission’s claims that its leading social media platform, Facebook, used monopoly power to buy up, rather than compete with, smaller rival social media companies. Facebook acquired Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion and WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion. Both mergers were given a green light by the FTC, following reviews. Facebook also bought the controversial market intelligence service Onavo in 2013. That, according to the FTC, helped Facebook identify increasingly popular mobile apps, including WhatsApp and a polling app called “tbh.” Later, in 2016, Facebook bought and shuttered a music video creation app called Eyegroove after learning that its rival Snapchat had interest in purchasing it, according to the FTC. The government claims these purchases of rivals expanded Meta’s ability to surveil its users across the internet and, in turn, corner the online advertising market that fuels digital social platforms. What is your take on the fight against monopolising the market ?
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