Will Meta Be Forced to Sell Instagram and WhatsApp?

Photo : AP

Meta is the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. It is one of the biggest social media companies in the world. Mark Zuckerberg started Facebook in 2004, and later, Meta bought Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014. Now, the U.S. government is not happy with how Meta works. A big case is starting, and if Meta loses, it might have to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.

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The U.S. government group called the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) says that Meta is trying to stop other small companies from growing. They believe Meta bought Instagram and WhatsApp to remove the competition. This means Meta wanted to be the only strong company in social media. The FTC says Meta is a monopoly — a company that wants to win alone and not let others join the game.

The case says Meta used a plan called “buy or bury.” This means Meta either bought small apps it saw as a threat or made them weak so that people would stop using them. One big proof in the case is an email from 2012, where Zuckerberg said buying Instagram would help stop a new rival. The FTC says this shows Meta’s real reason — not just to grow, but to stop others.

Now, the FTC wants Meta to sell Instagram and WhatsApp. They believe this will help other new apps grow, bring more fresh ideas, and make sure one company does not control everything.

Meta replied to this case in a blog. The company said the FTC is not looking at the real picture. Meta says that its apps — Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp — work well and are easy to use. They also say this is a normal way to grow in business.

Meta also says the FTC is not counting all its rivals. The FTC says Meta only competes with Snapchat and a small app called MeWe. But Meta says people use TikTok and YouTube even more. So if we add them too, Meta only has less than 30% of the market, not more.

Meta also said it is not fair that the U.S. wants to break a strong American company, while also trying to help TikTok, which is a Chinese company. Meta says this is not the right time to make American tech companies weak, especially when they are trying to win against China in things like AI and technology.

Right now, both the government and Meta are ready with their sides. The final decision will come from the court. This case might change the future of social media in a big way.