FTC Vs. Facebook Update: Why Federal Trade Commission Would Find It Hard To Take Down FB

By Giul Martin First Posted: Aug 17, 2021 04:59 PM EDT

FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and Facebook are still having their feud. The issue between the two parties began after the government agency claimed that the social media giant is monopolizing the market.

FTC Vs. Facebook Update: Why Federal Trade Commission Would Find It Hard To Take Down FB

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks about the new Facebook News feature at the Paley Center For Media on October 25, 2019 in New York City. Facebook News, which will appear in a new dedicated section on the Facebook app, will offer stories from a mix of publications, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, as well as other digital-only outlets.

According to the Federal Trade Commission's official website, the monopoly lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg's company was filed way back on Decemeber 9, 2020.

"The Federal Trade Commission today sued Facebook, alleging that the company is illegally maintaining its personal social networking monopoly through a years-long course of anticompetitive conduct," said FTC via its official web page.

On the other hand, Forbes reported that the department agency coordinated with 46 states to sue the social media giant. Now, FTC has one more chance to prove its point against Facebook.

FTC Vs. Facebook

According to CNBC's latest report, the Federal Trade Commission's office is required to file an amended complaint if it wants to continue the lawsuit against the tech giant in the federal court.

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In this photo illustration the Social networking site Facebook is displayed on a laptop screen on March 25, 2009 in London, England. The British government has made proposals which would force Social networking websites such as Facebook to pass on details of users, friends and contacts to help fight terrorism.

The reason behind this requirement is that the agency is claimed to have insufficient proof against the online platform. One of the judges even said that FTC's initial complaint doesn't have enough evidence to prove that Facebook illegally maintains monopoly power.

If FTC didn't provide the required amended complaint, the ongoing lawsuit against Zuckerberg's online platform would not move forward. However, the federal court provided the agency another chance to make a stronger case in its new filing.

FTC's Options With FB Lawsuit

As of the moment, the Federal Trade Commission has various options to continue the lawsuit against Facebook. Aside from the amended complaint, the agency could also bring the case before its internal administrative law judge.

On the other hand, FTC could simply stop pushing its filing against the social media giant. Meanwhile, the government department only finds it hard to prove its point because of one thing.

The U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said that the accusation of FTC against Facebook is a common one in the market. The flow of the monopoly lawsuit could still change if the agency could provide stronger evidence.