WASHINGTON – The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday filed a new version of its antitrust lawsuit against Facebook Inc., trying to start its case with reinforced allegations that the company is abusing its monopoly position on social media.
The FTC voted 3-2 following the party line to file the amended lawsuit, with President Lina Khan participating in the agency’s deliberations and supporting the new complaint. The commission rejected Facebook’s request to withdraw Ms. Khan, a Democrat, because of her past criticism of big tech companies.
The FTC’s amended complaint comes after a federal judge in June dismissed the agency’s original lawsuit, saying it did not file enough allegations to support claims that Facebook was involved in an illegal monopolization. .
With its new 80-page lawsuit, the FTC is trying to tell a longer, more detailed story about why it believes Facebook is a dominant force that uses its power to fight any rival that may threaten its market position.
The FTC’s fundamental allegations remain the same as its original December complaint: that Facebook intended to illegally suppress competition by buying potential rivals such as the WhatsApp messaging platform and the Instagram image sharing app. The commission wants to undo these offers.