Meta Platforms—Federal judge ruled Meta is not a monopolist, dismissing FTC's bid to force divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp
Chief Judge James Boasberg ruled after a six-week bench trial that the FTC failed to prove Meta unlawfully monopolized 'personal social networking.' The court found TikTok and YouTube are legitimate competitors, noting Americans spend only 17% of time on Facebook viewing friends' content. The ruling was the most decisive government loss in any major Big Tech antitrust case. The FTC appealed in January 2026.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antitrust & Competition | +toward | primary | +1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | +0.664 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.59)× agency (reactive ×0.75)
Evidence (1 signal)
Judge Boasberg ruled Meta is not a monopolist in 86-page opinion after six-week bench trial
Chief Judge James Boasberg of the DC District Court ruled the FTC failed to prove Meta unlawfully monopolized personal social networking. The court found TikTok and YouTube are legitimate competitors, noting users spend only 17% of Facebook time viewing friends' content. The ruling was the most decisive government loss in major Big Tech antitrust cases. FTC appealed in January 2026.