It’s not uncommon when a company faces a fine by the FTC that they attempt to appeal it . After all, no one likes paying fines and if a company can get away with paying less, why not? But in this instance, it looks like the FTC is the one doing the appealing. The US FTC has revealed that it is looking to appeal an antitrust case against Meta .

FTC to appeal antitrust case against Meta

For those unfamiliar, the FTC had initially accused Meta of having a monopoly over social networking services that connected friends and family online. However, back in November 2025, US District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled that the government had failed to prove that .

Had the FTC’s case been successful, it would have resulted in Meta being forced to spin off products like WhatsApp and Instagram . Both of these services, including Facebook, are some of Meta’s most popular and are widely-used around the world. Losing them would have been a huge blow to the company.

Fortunately for Meta, they did not have to. Unsurprisingly, the FTC isn’t thrilled with the decision and is looking to appeal the antitrust case and decision made by Judge Boasberg. According to FTC spokesperson Joe Simonson, “Meta violated our antitrust laws when it acquired Instagram and WhatsApp. Consequently, American consumers have suffered from Meta’s monopoly.”

What does the FTC want?

According to the FTC, they want the US Court of Appeals in DC to review the judge’s decision. The government agency believes that the evidence from the previous trial was enough to prove its case. They also claimed that due to Meta’s dominance, it allowed the company to “degrade” the quality of its services, leaving customers with little to no choice when it came to alternatives.

In a statement made by FTC Bureau of Competition Director Daniel Guarnera, “The U.S. economy thrives when competition can flourish and U.S. businesses compete fairly against one another.”

Meta has also responded in kind to the FTC’s appeal. According to Meta spokesperson Chris Sgro, “The District Court’s decision to reject the FTC’s arguments is correct, and recognizes the fierce competition we face. We will remain focused on innovating and investing in America.”

Either way, it looks like this fight isn’t quite over yet. It remains to be seen if the US Court of Appeals will end up siding with Meta or the FTC.