US Government Pursues Monopoly Cases Against Google, Meta

Google is set to face the U.S. Justice Department in federal court over allegations of maintaining an illegal monopoly, with the government seeking to impose significant restrictions on its business practices, including potential bans on default search engine deals and a forced divestiture of its Chrome browser. Meanwhile, Meta Platforms recently concluded a seven-week trial against the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) claims that it holds an illegal monopoly in the social networking market through its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp, with a judge expected to rule on whether these purchases were anti-competitive and require divestiture. The FTC argues that Meta bought these companies to eliminate competition and maintain dominance, while Meta contends the market remains highly competitive, pointing to rivals like TikTok, and describes the FTC's case as weak. The trial has underscored Meta's aggressive strategy of acquiring or replicating emerging competitors, highlighting broader concerns about competition in the tech industry. Industry voices, including Apple and the App Association, have expressed differing views on the appropriate remedies to address these monopolistic concerns, warning of potential impacts on innovation. The outcomes of these cases could have profound implications for the regulation and structure of major tech companies and the future of competition in the digital market.