Should Facebook be broken up? The FTC and the Attorneys General from 46 states say yes. The director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, Ian Conner, said in a statement, “Personal social networking is central to the lives of millions of Americans.”
He continued: “Facebook’s actions to entrench and maintain its monopoly deny consumers the benefits of competition. Our aim is to roll back Facebook’s anticompetitive conduct and restore competition so that innovation and free competition can thrive.”
That may be their aim, but it’s a big swing and a miss. First, the antitrust police looked at Facebook’s Whatsapp and Instagram deals as they were done, so that ship has sailed. But much more importantly, if the FTC wins, nothing will change for consumers or advertisers. Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram will still be the most popular social networks, they will charge for advertising the same way and use data the same way.
The big winners today are the lawyers for both sides. Oh, and relax, these lawsuits are going to take years.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.