Facebook is facing a lawsuit filed by 48 states for monopoly practices and the FTC is joining with supportive legal action. NY Attorney General Latitia James held a news conference to announce the antitrust lawsuit using Instagram & WhatsApp as examples.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators on Wednesday sued to force a breakup of Facebook as 48 states and districts accused the company in a separate lawsuit of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors.
The antitrust lawsuits were announced by the Federal Trade Commission and New York Attorney General Letitia James. The FTC specifically asked a court to force Facebook sell off its Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services.
“It’s really critically important that we block this predatory acquisition of companies and that we restore confidence to the market,” James said during a press conference announcing the lawsuit. (read more)
Facebook is the world’s biggest social network with 2.7 billion users and a company with a market value of nearly $800 billion whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the world’s fifth-richest individual and the most public face of Big Tech swagger.
The beginning of the end. They went too far during the election and removed any pretense whatsoever what they wanted and stood for. Sure hope it was worth it….
Believe it or not, when governments act in this way it’s a sign that they’ve already missed the bus on the issue and the market has already begun to self-correct. Next up … Google. Tech changes the market too fast for any one organization to maintain a hold for long.
Even so, this could not have happened to nicer folks. They had this one coming for some time. Google will gets theirs soon enough.
Leititia likes their politics, but the states are absolutely desperate for money for state employee pensions. What most of these states really want is a golden handshake to go away.
Reminds me of the tale of the goose that laid golden eggs. There is something to be said in that tale about greed.
yeah sadly that is my first gut reaction as well.
Plus I’m skeptical if the NY AG is for it…..
Me three. If demonrat AGs, and particularly the corrupticrat
from NY is behind this. It can’t be good.
Letita is no friend of liberty. This is just a shakedown. New York State government is like the mafia. Neither brooks competition when it comes to putting the squeeze on other people’s money.
Fake book and the Vampire State deserve each other.
Somebody probably told Letitia President Trump owns a good portion of Facebook. That’s why she’s all over this…
NY AG Letitia James vows to press charges against President
Trump after he leaves office…
She’ll make up charges later.
From Gateway Pundit.
Illinois needs a golden handshake too. It’s on the verge of bankruptcy.
IL has a 468% Debt/Income ratio. Debt = $248 Billion.
NJ is at 441%, Debt = 222 Billion
Anyone with any sense is getting out of there. State Pensioners are screwed.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewdepietro/2020/11/23/states-with-the-most-and-least-debt-in-2020
The Puerto Rico debt issue could not possibly be another impetus to grant statehood to the same now could it?
After all, Uncle Sam can charge it to his own account and all will be well. /s
Illinois is so broke if you win the lottery you get an IOU. Yet they are allowed to continue selling lotto tickets.
Seriously?
If any one mega company should’ve been number one, it’s Google (Alphabet)
IMO it is the bigger threat.
How many billions use Android, YouTube, Google search?
Each of those individually have vast amount of influence and censorship capabilities.
They were… https://nypost.com/2020/11/24/google-may-be-hit-with-second-antitrust-suit-as-soon-as-next-month/
Agreed. In fact, Fakebook would have been 3rd on my list after Alphabet and Twatter for the most dangerous outta control monopoly.
Gurgle owns ScrewTube which just announced they’re going to block all videos about election fraud. So that decision won’t age well….
Honestly Google is far more in need of breakup than FB
It’s never too late to take down FB and others. Granted, much damage has been down..but the timing is great to attack big tech as Utoob censors and interferes with the election. Hammer coming on them too.
Bezos is a different head of the monster, but that has to go too.
Shut down the AWS contract with the CIA, rip out WaPo’s throat.
Forfeit his entire estate for violation of PT’s EO of 2018.
I like how you think
Good for them.
It’s that time we all have been waiting for. Good time to make some popcorn. BYOB.
Suckerberg’s Tower of Babble will fall.
How about suing YouTube and Twitter also.
YouTube is Google
Correct.
Not looking good for big tech today..
With you tube action.. barring election information.. why…
IMHO. They must have a good idea President Trump is going to win and expose them all. They would not act if they were thinking this would all blow over…
Guess those Government hearing did not work out too well.
MAGA
I’d like to think so, Hans. Twitter & the rest will likely ban election fraud, talk, just like they’ll be banning ANYTHING negative on dementiaJoe, the Ska$k Ho, & the Crackhead who loves Hos.
I’m not sure who I distrust more, New York State’s AG, DEMOCRAT Letitia James and her boss tyrant Gov, or FB’s tyrant Zuck.
Even one of them could do something good on occasion. A broken clock can be right once or twice a day.
Do note that this in no way excuses past or future conduct.
Demon rats are commie first. They stabbed and destroy anyone.
The whole thing is dodgy to me…this blue state AGs couldn’t be farther up Zuckerberg’s arse in a philosophical way. So what gives with filing this lawsuit? As ALWAYS with leftists: Follow the money. Zuckerberg’s got it, they need it, so they’re going to sue for it since their tax base is being jack-booted by them and also leaving in droves, and they can’t wring it out of Trump–who will be in office for another four years. Blue states are broke and becoming more so by the day with no relief in sight, so they’re going to go after some low-hanging fruit. Zuckerberg is a leftist schmuck, but he is a wealthy one who’s aligned himself with others who have no loyalty when it comes to money and power. Oh, well.
Precisely! But also, this is a recue operation to save the Company from eventual break-up, which the public wants badly. Dems are swooping down to propose marriage once they are done scaring the corporate board to death. Then FB will accept the marriage proposal.
Dems most want to keep the company whole, the better to exploit for Communist purposes.
But first, ‘shock and awe!’
I am thinking the left is mad at Zuck because he isn’t as quick to censor as Google and Twitter?
Does this mean she got tired of investigating Trump?
A WAG here. Probably china and it’s tic toc want’s f-book out of the way so china can control that market niche. L james is just doing what she’s paid under the table to do. Amazon, china will want you out of the way too.
Will YouTube be next?
Last chance to catch this nugget before youtube bans it.
https://youtu.be/1fEV5yTY_j8
Thank you, Tparty. Great video. I’m fighting right along side of you!
I would like to know where that fire was for the last 4 years. Going after Swalwell is great. Where was the fire for Trump?
This in no way surprises me for as much as I have read. It just has taken this long to come to light.
It is not like China really tried that hard to hide it. They had people for that. For decades at least.
I knew something was up just as soon as I read up some time ago on the incident with the Loral rocket back in the days of the Clinton administration. And don’t get me started on the dealings of the Bush clan.
So there can be post-election unity. Hahahaha!!
Btw, I also saw that Hunter Biden’s taxes under investigation by US Attorney.
Clean-up squad activated?
maybe they are giving Biden the Flynn treatment behind the scenes?
One can hope right?
They have to have a reason to get rid of Biden if he gets to inauguration.
Knock out GooGhoul, FewTube and TwitWit next
Make EARTH Great Again
As much as I don’t like Facebook I like Google eve less. Any abridgment of free speech cannot and should not be tolerated.
The Ghost of ‘Ma Bell’ comes calling. Kinda like movie ‘Predator 3’ describing death.
Did Mark really create …
https://www.collective-evolution.com/2019/07/01/did-mark-zuckerberg-really-create-facebook/
So… I’m missing a piece of the puzzle…..
F*kerberg dumped a pile of cash into helping the dems steal the election – Yet, we’re supposed to believe they are now suing F***book for any reason?
Doesn’t quite make sense. Any thoughts as to why?
Check out Raptors2021 4:50PM reply to R F Burns.
Makes sense. The Blue States are really hurting and their financial obligations are staggering.
Dems wants control of federal money…go to their state first. All blue states are bankrupt.
Baby El, there is no sense in a dem’s mind and they always tend to eat their own.
They are just playing the European game, shakedown for cash.
Some States, especially the democrat run financial disasters are following the lead of their EU Counterparts. While superficially and to some extent by accident their efforts seem to serve the public good, their motivations are purely financial as those EU nations that sue US Tech on a fixed periodic basis for anti-trust crimes. In the end Big Tech sometimes settles and sometimes goes to court in rigged EU Courts only to loose their cases. In short it is a periodic cash shakedown and protection racket being run by EU Nations using their rigged anti-trust laws and courts.
Zuckerberg should have the DoJ-SEC all over him as well has having his company facing anti-trust issues, as should the majority of the US Big Companies as well as their owners that dominate cyberspace.
Test
Which two states are not part of this?
Plaintiff States are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, the territory of Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Who’s missing?
One is Alabama.
No Georgia, South Carolina or South Dakota.
I posted on wrong story. Sorry.
So suny, I was curios about that too and I what I found is 46 states + DC and Guam, with the 4 states not participating being Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, and South Dakota.
Sorry. I haven’t checked SC.
I am curious why SC AG Alan Wilson hasn’t joined.
I’d rather him focus on supporting Texas right now, as he seems to be doing. So far am happy with our state government and my election experience. Our DL scanning based voter ID is pretty great.
lets boycott Facebook
twitter and google,
Already done that a few years back. FB is nothing but a huge time waster as is utoob. Google I just use anything but them.
If anyone has been paying attention to how the European Countries mine the Big Techs for gold to support their socialist agenda, this should not be a surprise. Without the Federal Government tax dollars, the Big Techs represent a big source of money. Just sue them for improper disclosure rules, monopolies, collusion, etc and fine them a few billion dollars. Change the rules, fine them again, and repeat. The Big Techs know it is all a part of doing business.
Incidentally, you just described half of the playbook for the dealings between Big Business (Media, Banks, Tech, etc) and Big Government. What do they get out of these arrangements?
Barriers to entry to forestall future competitors and allowing largely captive markets. All for the relatively low price of paying minor fines every once in a while to pet causes and encouraged donations to (re)election campaigns among other things.
Zuch can led the way to the split up of big tech. Hopefully Jack and alphabet will follow, for starters.
Note that 2 GOP commissioners voted against the FTC filing the lawsuit against Facebook.
Where does the GOP stand on Big Tech monopolies?
On the surface this appears to be a positive move for citizens but the timing and tone have me smelling that day-old fish smell. Had they sued Alphabet too or instead, maybe a bit more confidence but still, overall, very skeptical. Seems like more Section 230-related theater to me.
I guess he didn’t grease enough of the correct palms. No sympathy whatsoever for this condescending POS. He and his organization have destroyed people and their businesses. No one but the hard core FB addicted sycophants are going to stick up for these clowns. I hope they run it in dry.
Other than that, I wish Zuck, a nice day.
and bless his heart…
Heard a clip on The View from Ms James yesterday on a radio program. She assured the audience that she rigged the presidential pardon so that Trump cannot pardon himself from state litigation. Further proof that the left has no plans to leave PDT alone should he leave office. Shows their bloodlust outweighs their mind for strategy. You don’t paint your enemy in a corner. The Rubicon will be breached and it’s now or never.
I had read some months ago that Ms. James has a huge number of charges ready to file on President Trump once he leaves office. I can’t remember the number but it was staggering. I think she needs to read the law on malicious prosecution in earnest.
Oh the Left isn’t going to let a little thing like laws get in their way and neither will Leticia. It’s all about propaganda to them. I said before the election if we lose in earnest I still think we should keep power. I knew that would be a tough sell with conservatives as they are such stickler for the rules. But I also said If we know there is cheating (and we do massively) and we still hand over power we deserve everything we get. I stand by that.
It’s about time Facebook was sued for anti-trust.
I live in NYS. I grew up in a neighborhood of rats, and crime. I can smell an “earner” a mile away. Letitia’s lawsuit is a ruse. She’s a swamp creature. There is something nefarious behind this lawsuit. Even the mafia was more honest. And speaking of mafia, Cuomo is a wannabe “Boss”.
That’s what Zuckerborg licking demon rats butts. Enjoy the lawsuits and your loss.
Wished they added goggle with what google did today with youtube..
With as much cash and effort they put into trying to get Biden elected, FEC charges can’t be too far behind!
There should also be anti-trust investigations in to health care. Insurance, hospitals, doctors, and drug cos act like a racket.
Facebook deserves all that may be coming their way legally but they are being set-up as the Big Tech Fall Guy for actors that are far worse, control much more and who caused far more damage via their control over cyberspace and the I/T Infrastructure. The EU Anti-Trust suits, for all their shakedown motivation were after the correct targets and Facebook was NOT among the lead major targets.
This may be a good start that is the equivalent of just licking the top of the Big Tech Iceberg.
Is this the President’s next play, a social media company instead of a msm company? I like it!! he would get 70 million plus followers instantly.
.
‘Bout dam time.
They will not stop until they get sued.
States attorney generals smell blood and realize there’s a payday coming.
sadly it won’t be enough to bankrupt the social media giants.
So they wait until the middle of a pandemic that is being weaponized to destroy small business in America……to bring an antitrust suit against FB to stop it from hurting smaller business — something it has been doing over a decade.
Right.
Oh, and never mind censorship, of which there was no mention.
Hawley wasn’t fnished.
Good it’s all out in the open, what was hidden can now be plainly seen for those with eyes to see. Still though and you know this:
There will be those who can not hear and can not see. Even though the truth is being shouted from the roof tops and in plain sight
That NY AG and the deep-state-swampsters at the FTC will “play to lose” this case. Then a precedent will exist that FB is doing nothing wrong! Lookee there!! The gubmint sued FB and FB won!!! See, FB innocent!!!
Man, things are happening fast now! Godspeed, Patriots!
Facebook, yes. Let’s not forget about Amazon, Google, and Twitter either though.
James. An ass.
Well, color me suspicious that the NY Attorney General Letitia James is leading this fight.
This is upside-down.
Her words belie her modus operandi. (Where’s that suspicious cat when one needs him?)
Besides, and not to be unkind — how really intelligent can this woman be?
She stumbled repeatedly & mispronounced words in the written script right in front of her.
Was she just nervous, or isn’t she really very bright?
I am just asking questions. Yes, Facebook is a monopoly in its field.
Why now? There is something shiny over there.
Any first semester college student taking Economics 101 learns that pure competition among many competitors is best for the health of capitalism and for consumers as well.
So, we shouldn’t stop at Facebook. Let’s mandate through federal legislation that all companies will be subject to a modicum of pure competition. When any company secures more than 10% (or pick some other percentage) of a market, it will be broken into two companies automatically. And prohibit acquisitions, period.
Let’s break up the biggest current tech companies (Facebook, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, et.al.) into enough pieces, so that no company has more than 5% of its market.
Arguments about huge companies in other countries, and their competitive advantages, are likely not to hold water. The research, innovation, pricing and brutal competition that would come from those more efficient and smaller (although still huge) companies are likely to make them hold up just fine.
We busted up the monopolies in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and our country and its economic power grew vastly stronger in the decades following. It’s time to do that again.
And this time we’d end up breaking up massive companies that have contributed to a corporate political monopoly as well, hopefully resulting in more competition in free speech and much less Animal Farm- and 1984-like societal control.
Ok, so I know I’m dreaming. But it’s a pleasant dream versus the nightmare that we we have today –with the largest Americans companies wielding their enormous influence and power for not only economic reasons, but instead for control of the minds of all Americans.
Zuck can aid and abet the criminal steal of a national election for a mere $400. Million.
He will fly swat away this lawsuit for less.
I have been a long time lurker and have the ultimate human respect for Sundance and many posters on here.
I am hoping the U.S.S.C. is really looking at the evidence showing how they violated the Constitution etc. and not looking for a reason not to adjudicate this. The criminality aspect seems to be going nowhere in the swing states. The swing state judges just won’t hear them or they may try to minimize what fraud they have to see.
Praying hard the U.S.S.C. has the courage to properly resolve this with the right remedy.
Welcome to posting at the Treehouse Concerned! 😀
All of the Big Tech Companies – Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube conspired to rig the election in favor of Biden with suppression of factual reports that would have caused voters to turn against him in favor of Donald Trump. The answer is in breaking up these big companies who suppress freedom of expression with no liability and/or by eliminating liability risk by cancelling Section 230.
Zuckerberg along with his buddies at Twitter, and Google are all guilty of TREASON and they should be held ACCOUNTABLE. They have created and sustained a National Security Risk.
They conspired with China and we all know it. Why have laws if they are not enforced? ENOUGH IS ENOUGH – WE THE PEOPLE NEED TO TAKE BACK OUR GLORIOUS COUNTRY AND STOP THESE EVIL PEOPLE NOW
While they’re at it, I hope they break up the lying and treacherous mainstream media conglomerates that likewise conspired to suppress anything detrimental to the Bidens.
Unfortunately, this cannot be done, but the public can abandon the so-called Mainstream Media because they are not a legitimate expression of the free press which is to keep government in check with the Truth. Rather they have become political operatives of the Left (Socialism and Communism) seeking to indoctrinate rather than inform with the facts.