Washington: A US federal judge has ruled that tech giant Meta is not a monopoly in the social networking market, dismissing an antitrust case brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over the company's acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram.

According to Anadolu Agency, Washington District Court Judge James Boasberg stated that the FTC failed to substantiate its claim that Meta monopolized the market and maintained its dominance by purchasing its competitors. Judge Boasberg emphasized that platforms like YouTube and TikTok belong to the product market and prevent Meta from holding a monopoly. He further noted that even excluding YouTube, the presence of TikTok alone was sufficient to defeat the FTC's case.

The judge concluded that Meta does not hold a monopoly position in the relevant market, leading to a ruling in favor of the company. The FTC initially sued Meta in 2020, arguing that the company illegally consolidated power in the social media market through its $1 billion purchase of Instagram in 2012 and its $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014.