Facebook antitrust inquiry by the FTC focuses on acquisitions, report says

The social network owns Instagram and WhatsApp.

Queenie Wong Former Senior Writer

Queenie Wong was a senior writer for CNET News, focusing on social media companies including Facebook's parent company Meta, Twitter and TikTok. Before joining CNET, she worked for The Mercury News in San Jose and the Statesman Journal in Salem, Oregon. A native of Southern California, she took her first journalism class in middle school.

Expertise I've been writing about social media since 2015 but have previously covered politics, crime and education. I also have a degree in studio art. Credentials

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Queenie Wong

Aug. 1, 2019 12:14 p.m. PT

The FTC is investigating Facebook over antitrust concerns.

Angela Lang/CNET

Facebook's woes with the US Federal Trade Commission are far from over. The agency is investigating whether Facebook's purchases of companies such as Instagram and WhatsApp were part of the social media giant's strategy to stifle competition, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

Facebook revealed last week that the FTC had launched an antitrust investigation into the company, but the social network didn't provide many details. The announcement came after the agency said it was fining Facebook a record-setting $5 billion for alleged privacy missteps.

Now the FTC is looking into Facebook's acquisitions and has contacted people who started the companies the social network acquired, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The FTC and Facebook declined to comment.

The US Department of Justice is also looking at antitrust concerns regarding tech companies such as Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon.