Headline Roundup • June 28th, 2021
Federal Court Dismisses Facebook Antitrust Lawsuits
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Monday, a federal court dismissed antitrust lawsuits against Facebook by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and more than 40 states. Judge James E. Boasberg dismissed the states' lawsuit, which claimed Facebook had an unfair monopoly and said it should sell popular applications Instagram and WhatsApp, because too much time had passed since Facebook bought the companies in 2012 and 2014. Boasberg wrote separately that the FTC's suit did not present enough facts to support that Facebook had a monopoly on the social networking industry. Boasberg gave the FTC 30 days to refile its complaint.
Outlets from across the political spectrum covered the story; some highlighted the spike in Facebook's stock after the decision, while some left-rated outlets featured quotes from Big Tech critics such as Sen. Josh Hawley and members of the American Economic Liberties Project.
Featured Coverage of this Story
CNBC
A federal court on Monday dismissed the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust complaint against Facebook, as well as a parallel case brought by 48 state attorneys general, dealing a major setback for the agency’s complaint that could have resulted in Facebook divesting Instagram and WhatsApp.
Shares of Facebook rose more than 4% on Monday following the rulings, sending the social media company’s market capitalization above $1 trillion for the first time.
The FTC sued the company last December, alongside attorneys general from 48 states, arguing that Facebook engaged engaged in a systematic strategy to eliminate threats to its monopoly, including the 2012...
Washington Examiner
A federal court dismissed the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust lawsuit against Facebook, handing the social media giant a victory as it battles claims of unfair monopolistic behavior.
The decision Monday marks a setback for the trade commission and could lead to more aggressive calls for U.S. antitrust law to be updated by Congress, just as related bipartisan bills have been introduced by the House Judiciary Committee.
A Washington, D.C., federal court said the agency was too vague in its complaint and didn't do enough to support its assertion that Facebook had abused its power...
New York Times (News)
In a stunning setback to regulators’ efforts to break up Facebook, a federal judge on Monday threw out antitrust lawsuits brought against the company by the Federal Trade Commission and more than 40 states.
The judge, James E. Boasberg for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said that the case from the states needed to be dismissed because too much time had elapsed since the alleged offenses took place. The states, led by Letitia James, the New York attorney general, accused Facebook in December of buying up nascent competitors like Instagram...
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