FTC: Meta bought WhatsApp, Insta after failing to compete

Facebook parent Meta Platforms bought up nascent rivals Instagram and WhatsApp after its attempts to compete had failed, an attorney for the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said at the beginning of a high-stakes trial in Washington court on Monday, in an effort to unwind the deals.

- Agencies

WASHINGTON: Facebook parent Meta Platforms bought up nascent rivals Instagram and WhatsApp after its attempts to compete had failed, an attorney for the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said at the beginning of a high-stakes trial in Washington court on Monday, in an effort to unwind the deals.

FTC attorney Daniel Matheson said that the unlawful strategy "established entry barriers that for more than a decade protected Meta's dominance". "Consumers do not have reasonable alternatives they can turn to," he said.

The case, filed during President Donald Trump's first term, claims Meta bought the companies a decade ago to eliminate competition among social media platforms where users connect with friends and family. At the time, Facebook struggled to adapt its service for mobile devices, the FTC says.