Headline RoundupDecember 11th, 2020

Perspectives: Facebook Sued Over Potential Antitrust Violations

Summary from the AllSides News Team

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and attorneys general from 46 states, Washington D.C. and Guam filed lawsuits against Facebook Wednesday. The suits accuse the social media giant of illegally suppressing competition to gain popularity among potential users. Facebook allegedly broke competition law by purchasing popular social media app Instagram in 2012 and messaging app WhatsApp in 2014; the suits seek to force the company to give up ownership of the apps. A Facebook spokesperson responded by pointing out that the FTC approved the acquisitions at the time. Some left-rated voices sided with the FTC and attorneys general, saying Facebook abused its power and that the government should have intervened sooner. Some right-rated voices argued that the lawsuits overlooked the benefits of Facebook's acquisitions for customers. Center-rated Wired analyzed Facebook employee emails in an attempt to add context to news of the lawsuits.

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