FB To Face Antitrust Suit Over Instagram, WhatsApp

The Washington Post reports:

State and federal investigators are preparing to bring antitrust charges against Facebook that will challenge the tech giant’s acquisition of two rivals, Instagram and WhatsApp, alleging that the deals helped create an anti-competitive social networking juggernaut that has left users with few quality alternatives.

The charges form a critical part of what could be a wide-ranging legal salvo, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, ultimately threatening to saddle Facebook with its toughest regulatory challenge in its nearly 17-year history.

State attorneys general — who initiated their inquiry last year under the leadership of New York’s Letitia James (D) — are on track to file a lawsuit in early December. Nearly 40 states, led by Democratic and Republican enforcers, have expressed an interest in signing onto the case.

Read the full article.

SCOOP: State, federal antitrust lawsuits likely to challenge Facebook for buying rivals, degrading service and weaponizing data, taking aim at Instagram and WhatsApp and well beyond. Expected early December now. My latest: https://t.co/VFIv20DYpv

— Tony Romm (@TonyRomm) November 19, 2020