Federal Antitrust Trial Over Instagram, WhatsApp Acquisitions Against Meta Is Set To Begin

The U.S. government is set to begin an antitrust trial against Meta over its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) argues that Meta used a “buy or bury” strategy to maintain its dominance in social media. The trial, led by Judge James Boasberg in Washington, will explore whether Meta violated antitrust laws by purchasing potential competitors. The FTC seeks to unwind the deals and force Meta to divest both platforms. Meta claims it faces strong competition from other platforms and that the acquisitions were approved at the time. The outcome could influence future merger scrutiny in the tech industry and determine how regulators address the control large companies hold in digital markets.