A US federal judge on Tuesday (November 18) dismissed the Federal Trade Commission’s landmark antitrust lawsuit against Meta, ruling that the social media giant does not hold a monopoly in the market.

The FTC had accused Meta of illegally maintaining dominance by acquiring Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014, arguing the deals were designed to neutralise competitive threats. The case, filed in December 2020, had been one of the most high-profile antitrust actions against a Big Tech company.

“Meta holds no monopoly in the relevant market,” Boasberg wrote, rejecting the FTC’s argument that Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat operate in a separate space from video-first platforms.

Boasberg ruled that the FTC’s market definition no longer reflects how Americans use social media, noting that

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