United States of America: District Court for the District of Columbia issued ruling that Meta Platforms does not hold monopoly in the social networking market (Civil Action No. 20-3590)

On 18 November 2025, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia issued a Memorandum Opinion entering judgment in favour of Meta Platforms in the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit over alleged monopolisation in personal social networking services, finding that Meta did not hold a monopoly position in the relevant market. The FTC had sought to establish that Meta held a monopoly in the personal social networking services market, and that it had preserved its monopoly by purchasing its competitors Instagram and WhatsApp. Meta argued that, rather than competing within a market for personal social networking services, it was now a competitor in a broader social media market which also included TikTok and Youtube, whose inclusion diminished Meta's market share below Monopoly level. The Court examined the litigation history, Meta’s business model, the evolution of Facebook and Instagram, and the convergence of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. On evaluation of the evidence and arguments before it, the Court found that Youtube and TikTok belonged to the product market, thus preventing Meta from holding a monopoly.