Hey there --

80-page legal documents usually don’t make good fodder for an email. But the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) updated complaint against Facebook last week was so good that we wanted to share with you some of the highlights.

A little background first: The FTC is an independent agency of the U.S. government that was created in 1914 to rein in big trusts and monopolies. The agency enforces civil U.S. antitrust law and promotes consumer protections.

In December 2020, the FTC announced that they were suing Facebook over their monopolistic business practices including their acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp. Last month, a judge dismissed the complaint, but not the case—requesting that the FTC refile the complaint with a clearer argument for Facebook’s monopoly power.

The FTC did just that last week. Here are some of the key points from the FTC in their updated complaint against Facebook:

• Facebook has developed and maintained monopoly power as a personal social network since 2011 by following Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy: “it is better to buy than compete.”
• Because Facebook “lacked the business talent required to maintain its dominance” in the mobile transition, they acquired competitors: Instagram and WhatsApp.
• “Facebook’s dominant position provides it with staggering profits” through the business model of surveillance advertising that collects and sells users’ personal information.

In a nutshell, the FTC has sharpened its case against Facebook—calling them out for their illegal, monopolistic behavior. We’re asking you to help spread the word by sharing online if you use social media or forwarding this email to your family and friends: 

By raising awareness of Facebook’s toxic business practices, we can create a kinder, more truthful information ecosystem.

Thanks for sharing,

Nicole
Co-founder & Executive Director
Accountable Tech

We recognize the irony of urging you to take action on the dominant social media platforms we’re fighting to hold accountable, but they are… well… dominant. We must reach people where they are in order to level the playing field.