Two new legal battles have just erupted in the US and UK against Meta (Facebook + Instagram + WhatsApp + Metaverse + etc).
In this way, it is confirmed that 2022 begins as complicated for Mark Zuckerberg as 2021 ended in a matter of difficulties with the law.
One of the demands, that of the United States, is particularly difficult because it could cause the young tycoon to separate from Facebook one of his other two jewels (or both): Instagram or WhatsApp.
Indeed, in a court in the District of Columbia there is an antitrust lawsuit by the Federal Trade Commission against Facebook.
There Meta is denounced for having an alleged “illegal monopoly in social networking services” by having bought two players who are direct competitors such as Instagram and WhatsApp. In addition, it is accused of integrating “increasingly with each other.”
There was already a similar lawsuit against Facebook from 2020. On that occasion, the Justice dismissed the complaint.
However, now there is more evidence, according to the judge handling the case and who admitted the appeal and rejected Zuckerberg’s claim.
In this way, it will investigate whether the Meta holding company really exercises an illegal domain over the digital market.
While the feud is just beginning, the end may not be financially pleasant for Meta, as it could force the company to ditch one of its fastest growing and most profitable networks, Instagram.
Meta’s digital holding company: Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp
In the United Kingdom, meanwhile, it was made public this Friday, January 14, that the Financial Conduct Authority of that country filed a class action lawsuit against Facebook (against Meta, strictly speaking) for more than 2,700 million euros for “abusing its market dominance” in that country.
He talks about the “exploitation of the information of 44 million users”.
According to the demand that publishes Reuters, Meta used its dominant position in the network markets between 2015 and 2019 to impose unfair terms and conditions on its customers.
He says that he required them to compulsorily hand over valuable personal data to access the network and with permission for the company to exploit it without limits.