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Government Fails to Break Up Meta: A Pattern of Regulatory Failure
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Published in Media and Entertainment on Monday, November 24th 2025 at 10:20 GMT by Seattle Times- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
The Government Failed to Break Up Meta, It’s Becoming a Pattern
Seattle Times – 2024
The Seattle Times article “The government failed to break up Meta, it’s becoming a pattern” examines how the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have repeatedly fallen short in addressing the monopolistic power of Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. By tracing the history of Meta’s rapid acquisition spree, the article demonstrates that the government’s failure to enforce antitrust laws is not a one‑off mistake but a systemic issue that threatens the broader tech ecosystem and consumer welfare.
1. Meta’s Rise to Dominance
The piece starts with a concise recap of Meta’s meteoric rise. Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram in 2012 for $1 billion, followed by the purchase of WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion, allowed the company to amass an unprecedented share of the social‑media and messaging markets. A 2016 internal memo, referenced in the article via a link to the DOJ’s 2023 antitrust complaint, reveals that Meta’s leadership viewed these acquisitions as “strategic safeguards against competitors.” By integrating Instagram and WhatsApp, Meta locked in billions of users and created a “platform ecosystem” that makes it difficult for rival apps to enter or grow.
The article highlights that Meta’s algorithmic power extends beyond content feeds. Its data‑driven advertising platform now commands 44 % of digital ad spending in the United States, a share that dwarfs that of its closest rivals, Alphabet and Amazon. Meta’s ability to cross‑sell advertising across Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp gives it a competitive advantage that the government has struggled to counter.
2. The Antitrust Investigation
The Times article explains that the DOJ launched a formal antitrust investigation into Meta in 2022, citing the company’s “unprecedented market concentration” and the “barriers it has erected to competition.” It provides a link to the DOJ’s complaint, which outlines concerns such as:
- Exclusive Data Access – Meta’s control over user data from multiple platforms, creating a data moat that rivals cannot replicate.
- Network Effects – The more users Meta has, the more valuable its platform becomes, reinforcing its dominance.
- Co‑ordination of Advertising – Meta’s unified advertising system reduces the cost of cross‑platform promotion, raising barriers for newcomers.
Despite these concerns, the article notes that the DOJ’s case remains stalled. An internal DOJ memo, linked in the piece, indicates that the department has not yet filed a formal merger‑busting suit against Meta’s acquisition of Instagram. The Times’ investigative journalists also interviewed former DOJ antitrust lawyers, who remarked that the agency’s resources are stretched thin and that the political climate makes aggressive action difficult.
3. Congressional Response and Public Outcry
The article shifts focus to the political dimension, describing a series of congressional hearings in which senators and representatives call for stronger enforcement of antitrust laws. A link to a Senate hearing transcript from March 2024 shows that Senator Elizabeth Warren urged the government to “unleash the full power of the antitrust laws” against Meta. The hearing also spotlighted a bipartisan report from the House Committee on Commerce that found the DOJ’s “lack of capacity and political will” has enabled Meta’s “monopolistic consolidation.”
The Times further discusses the “Meta‑gate” that emerged in early 2023 when a whistleblower revealed internal documents showing that Meta’s executives were aware of the potential antitrust backlash but opted to proceed anyway. This revelation has amplified public pressure and led to calls for “breakup” similar to those faced by AT&T in 1983 and AOL/Time Warner in 2000.
4. A Pattern Across Big Tech
A key contribution of the article is its broader context. The Times notes that Meta’s case is part of a “pattern of regulatory failure” that includes Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft. By linking to a 2021 Brookings Institution report that charts the erosion of competition across the digital economy, the article argues that the DOJ and FTC have largely been reactive rather than proactive.
The article quotes Dr. Emily Chen, a professor of antitrust law at Stanford, who says, “We see a repeated failure to enforce the Sherman Act in a meaningful way. The tech giants have grown too large, too quickly, and the law has been slow to catch up.” Dr. Chen also warns that unchecked consolidation could lead to “price gouging,” “data misuse,” and “innovation stagnation.”
5. International Comparisons and Potential Remedies
The article ends by drawing a contrast with the European Union, which has aggressively pursued tech antitrust cases. A link to the EU’s “Digital Markets Act” shows that the Commission is actively preparing a case against Meta’s use of data to stifle competition. The Times highlights the “breakup” proposals circulating in Washington, which include splitting Meta into separate entities for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, as a potential remedy.
The piece also discusses “soft” regulatory measures, such as stronger privacy safeguards, data portability requirements, and limits on advertising data sharing. It notes that the FTC has recently proposed a “Data‑Portability Act” that would let users transfer their data to competitors, potentially weakening Meta’s data moat.
6. Conclusion: The Need for Systemic Change
In its conclusion, the article stresses that “the government’s failure to break up Meta is not an isolated incident; it reflects a broader institutional weakness in enforcing antitrust law.” It urges readers to recognize that the concentration of data and advertising power in the hands of a few corporations threatens democratic discourse, consumer choice, and economic competition. The Times calls for a “renewed commitment to the Sherman Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act” if the United States is to preserve a level playing field for innovators and consumers alike.
Word count: 1,020 words (including citations and links embedded in the original article).
Read the Full Seattle Times Article at:
[ https://www.seattletimes.com/business/the-government-failed-to-break-up-meta-its-becoming-a-pattern/ ]
