FTC says it will appeal Meta antitrust loss

"US District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled in November that the government failed to prove that Meta had an illegal monopoly over a subset of social networking services meant for connecting with friends and family online. Boasberg wrote that the government had an "uphill battle" in how it defined the market Meta allegedly dominated, a challenge exacerbated by the rise of TikTok and changes in the market over the five years between the FTC filing the case and it going to trial."

"The FTC is asking the US Court of Appeals in DC to review Boasberg's decision and says the evidence from the six-week trial proves its case. The government argued that Meta maintained its monopoly over the personal social networking market - which it said included services like Snapchat and MeWe, but not TikTok or YouTube - by acquiring nascent threats Instagram and WhatsApp."

""The U.S. economy thrives when competition can flourish and U.S. businesses compete fairly against one another," FTC Bureau of Competition Director Daniel Guarnera said in a statement. "Yet Meta has maintained its dominant position and record profits for well over a decade not through legitimate competition, but by buying its most significant competitive threats. The Trump-Vance FTC will continue fighting its historic case against Meta to ensure that competition can thrive across the country to the benefit of all Americans and U.S. businesses.""

US District Court Judge James Boasberg found the government did not prove Meta held an illegal monopoly over a subset of social networking services for connecting with friends and family online. Boasberg said the government faced an uphill battle defining the market, a difficulty amplified by TikTok's rise and market shifts during the five years between the FTC's filing and trial. The FTC is appealing to the US Court of Appeals in DC and contends the six-week trial evidence shows Meta preserved monopoly power by buying nascent threats and degrading service quality without viable alternatives for users.

Read at The Verge