FTC Appeals Ruling in Meta Antitrust Case

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) appealed its November 2025 defeat in the Meta antitrust case, a wise move given all the evidence against the company.

“Meta violated our antitrust laws when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp,” FTC spokesperson Joe Simonson said. “Thankfully for Americans, there is an appeal process.”

U.S. District Court Judge James E. Boasberg ruled that Meta did not create an illegal monopoly when it acquired those two rivals, arguing that more recent competition, mostly from TikTok, “changed the landscape” of the social media market in which Meta’s services operate. But as the FTC points out, Meta maintained an illegal monopoly for over a decade before this new competitor emerged, and it operates in a different market.

“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 wrote in the announcement about the appeal. “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 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.”