Explainer: The New US Lawsuits Against Facebook

The U.S. government and several U.S. states have brought new lawsuits² against Facebook. The cases accuse the company of abusing its market power in social networking to destroy smaller competitors. The accusers are seeking a judgment³ that could include forcing the company to sell off its Instagram and WhatsApp services.

Here are some answers to the main questions about the case:

What are the allegations?

One of the allegations against Facebook is that it purposefully seeks to buy possible competitors, often at a high price, before the companies have had a chance to grow. For example, Facebook bought Instagram in 2012, when it had no profits and only a few employees but a large number of users.

In 2013, the company bought Onavo. Facebook said the company's services included a tool to help protect user data from third parties. But the social media service also used Onavo to collect data on mobile apps favored by Facebook users. The lawsuits allege⁴ that Onavo used this information to identify other takeover targets. One of those targets was WhatsApp, which Facebook bought in 2014.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also accuses Facebook of persuading small, new companies to join its network in order to make Facebook more likeable to users. But it required those companies not to compete with Facebook itself or the Facebook Messenger service.

What did the FTC request?

The FTC has wide powers in its legal requests. The agency asked the judge to force Facebook to sell assets, possibly including Instagram and WhatsApp.

It also asked the judge to order Facebook to stop requiring small companies on its website not to compete with its services.

How did Facebook react?

Facebook said it is reviewing the FTC and state anti-competition cases.

In a statement, the company said the government "now wants a do-over" after permitting its takeover of Instagram and WhatsApp years ago. It said the government has no respect for the effect that would have on the business community or "the people who choose our products every day."

How long would a trial take?

Legal experts say pre-trial hearings in the case and possible trials themselves would likely last a year or more. A decision could come months after that.

Are the allegations political?

President Donald Trump⁵'s administration has expressed anger against several technology companies for allegedly silencing conservatives. Many Republican lawmakers have also brought up the issue of unfairness during recent anti-competition hearings.

Facebook notably⁶ conflicted with the administration when it added warnings to some of Trump's posts. Some of the warnings were related to unproven claims by Trump that the 2020 presidential election was not fair.

The Facebook lawsuits follow a major case brought against Google in October by the U.S. Department of Justice. In that case, the government accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the online search and advertising⁷ markets.

Words in This Story

lawsuit¹ – n. a process by which a court of law makes a decision to end a disagreement between people or organizations

allegation – n. a statement saying that someone has done something wrong or illegal

app – n. a computer program that performs a special function

asset – n. something that is owned by a person or company

post – n. a message put on social media

dominance – n. the act of being more important, powerful, or successful than most or all others

1 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

2 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

3 judgment   

n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见

参考例句：

• The chairman flatters himself on his judgment of people.主席自认为他审视人比别人高明。
• He's a man of excellent judgment.他眼力过人。

4 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

5 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

6 notably   

adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地

参考例句：

• Many students were absent,notably the monitor.许多学生缺席，特别是连班长也没来。
• A notably short,silver-haired man,he plays basketball with his staff several times a week.他个子明显较为矮小，一头银发，每周都会和他的员工一起打几次篮球。

7 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。