Facebook asked the court to dismiss both suits in March. The judge’s dismissal of both suits, so early in process, stunned regulators and Facebook executives. The judge, James E. Boasberg of U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, wondered why the states had waited so long to try to unwind Facebook’s deals for Instagram and WhatsApp. He also rejected allegations that Facebook squashed rival apps by blocking their ability to easily interact with the social media platform. “It is almost as if the agency expects the court to simply nod to the conventional wisdom that Facebook is a monopolist,” he wrote.

Source: New York Times June 28, 2021 19:34 UTC