Judge James Boasberg’s ruling is a blow to Facebook, which faced renewed scrutiny last year (FILE)
San Francisco:
A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that the U.S. regulators’ trust case against Facebook can be continued, saying the lawsuit is stronger and more detailed than the lawsuit. version was deprecated last year.
The US Federal Trade Commission has accused the social media giant, which has changed its name to Meta, of illegally holding a monopoly by buying up potential competitors it now owns like Instagram and WhatsApp.
Judge James Boasberg’s ruling is a blow to Facebook, which faced renewed scrutiny last year after a whistleblower leaked documents showing executives knew the harm. what their service can do to youth, democracy, and user happiness.
The FTC “may face a noble task of proving its allegations,” but the case will not be dismissed, according to the ruling of Boasberg, who last year dropped the original suit.
His ruling on Tuesday denied the push by Facebook, which did not respond to a request for comment, and dismissed the reworked claim.
“The Commission further alleges that Facebook has long had a monopoly on the market … and that it has unlawfully maintained that monopoly,” Boasberg wrote.
“However, the events alleged this time to back up those theories have been much more robust and detailed than before,” he added.
The judge also rejected Facebook’s argument that the lawsuit should be dismissed because the committee’s decision to amend and redo the records was motivated by bias against the company by FTC chairwoman Lina Khan.
The judge explained that that argument was unsuccessful, because Khan was a prosecutor, not a judge bound by neutrality.
“Ultimately, whether the FTC can prove its case and win the summary judgment and trial is anyone’s guess,” the judge said in the ruling.
In the revised complaint, the FTC said Facebook’s dominance was “protected by high barriers to entry” and that “even a entrant with a premium product cannot succeed against the overwhelming network effects that an incumbent personal social network has.”
The lawsuit, which could take years to go through the courts without resolution, calls for the court to order “foreclosure,” including WhatsApp and Instagram, to restore competition.
Boasberg said in last year’s dismissal that the agency’s initial lawsuit lacked evidence, particularly in identifying the market in which Facebook was allegedly monopolized.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
