Facebook Risks Instagram-WhatsApp Breakup in Antitrust Case
- Complaints say Facebook used acquisitions to harm competition
- Facebook cases come on heels of Google antitrust lawsuit
This article is for subscribers only.
Facebook Inc. was sued by U.S. antitrust officials and a coalition of states that want to break up the company by unwinding its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, deals the government says were part of a campaign to illegally crush competition.
The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general led by New York said they filed antitrust complaints against Facebook Wednesday, alleging the company stifled competition from rivals in order to protect its monopoly in social media. The lawsuits seek court orders unwinding Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp, according to copies of the complaints provided by the states and the FTC.