Biden FTC refiled antitrust suit against Meta challenges Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions

The Biden FTC refiled an antitrust lawsuit against Meta (Facebook), challenging the company's acquisitions of Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014 as illegal monopoly-building in the personal social networking market. The original suit was filed under Trump but dismissed in June 2021 for insufficient factual detail. Under Biden's new FTC leadership, the agency files an amended complaint with additional evidence. Judge James Boasberg allows the case to proceed in January 2022. The case represents the most notable federal effort to unwind a major tech merger and potentially require Meta to divest Instagram and WhatsApp.