US May Block The Unification of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger - Android

Unification of WhatApp, Instagram, and Messenger is a dream of Mark Zuckerberg that eludes him to this day. The US… Read More

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Unification of WhatApp, Instagram, and Messenger is a dream of Mark Zuckerberg that eludes him to this day.

The US Federal Officials might impede the realization of this dream as they are contemplating a serious punishment against Facebook Inc. for antitrust concerns regarding the backend interaction of these three services.

According to a recent report published in the Wall Street Journal, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) might halt the unification process if it turns out to be anticompetitive. The FTC is looking into the backend integration process of the three services owned by Facebook Inc.

Currently, all three services are handled separately with their own data servers. However, if Facebook unifies WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger, it will be able to use their data for advertising purposes or sell it to other companies. Something like the Cambridge Analytica/2016 US election controversy might occur again.

FTC is Against The Process

The FTC has the authority to injunct against the entire unification process. However, the FTC needs a five-member majority and a suit filed in the federal court to pass injunction against the entire unification process.

On the other hand, representatives of Facebook have expressed concerns over the proceedings of the FTC into the corporation’s interoperability policy which prevents other services to compete against Facebook Inc.

Whether the commission would injunct or file an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook Inc. interoperability policy remains to be seen. Sources privy to the developments claim that FTC might initiate legal action against Facebook Inc. next month. The commission might impose a ban on some clauses of the interoperability policy of the company for its anti-competitiveness nature, the sources claim.

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