Judge James Boasberg ruled that Meta does not hold an illegal monopoly in personal social networking, dismissing the FTC’s five-year antitrust case seeking to force divestiture of Instagram and WhatsApp despite extensive evidence of Meta’s “buy or bury” strategy to eliminate …
Judge James BoasbergMetaMark ZuckerbergFederal Trade CommissionLina Khanantitrustmetafacebookftcregulatory-capture+4 more
The 2025 White House Easter Egg Roll marked an unprecedented moment of corporate capture, with tech giants Meta, YouTube, and Amazon purchasing sponsorship packages ranging from $75,000 to $200,000. These packages included branded activation spaces, event brunch tickets, and potential meet-and-greet …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationMetaYouTubeAmazon+2 moregovernment-contractscorporate-accesstrump-administrationinstitutional-capturecorporate-sponsorship
Zuckerberg announces end of third-party fact-checking on Facebook/Instagram, adopting X-style community notes, calling Trump election “cultural tipping point” for free speech
Mark ZuckerbergMetaDonald TrumpJoel Kaplanfact-checking-endedcontent-moderationpolitical-capitulationmisinformation-enableddemocracy-threat
Meta announced a groundbreaking policy shift, making its open-source Llama AI models available to US government agencies and defense contractors. Partnering with companies like Accenture, AWS, Anduril, Lockheed Martin, Microsoft, Oracle, Scale AI, and others, Meta opened its technology for national …
MetaMark ZuckerbergUS government agenciesLockheed MartinPalantir+8 moreai-governancemilitary-contractsopen-sourceregulatory-capturenational-security+1 more
Former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen testifies before the U.S. Senate that Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, and weaken democracy, backed by tens of thousands of internal company documents showing Facebook executives knew about Instagram’s severe mental health …
Frances HaugenFacebookMark ZuckerbergU.S. SenateRichard Blumenthalfacebookwhistleblowerfrances-haugenalgorithm-harmteen-mental-health+5 more
Facebook bans Trump from the platform on January 7, 2021, one day after the Capitol insurrection his election fraud lies helped incite, but only after he has lost political power and can no longer retaliate against the company. The ban follows four years of systematic Terms of Service violations …
Mark ZuckerbergDonald TrumpFacebookFacebook Oversight Boardfacebooktrumpjanuary-6content-moderationaccountability+3 more
On December 16, 2020, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google joined by nine other states, exposing secret agreements between Google and Facebook—including the “Jedi Blue” deal—to eliminate competition in digital advertising and maintain Google’s …
Texas Attorney General Ken PaxtonGoogleFacebookMark ZuckerbergSundar Pichai+1 moregooglefacebookantitrustjedi-bluecollusion+4 more
The Federal Trade Commission, joined by 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, files major antitrust lawsuit against Facebook alleging illegal monopolization through systematic acquisition of competitors Instagram and WhatsApp. The FTC seeks structural breakup of Facebook through forced …
Federal Trade CommissionFacebookMark ZuckerbergInstagramWhatsApp+1 morefacebookftcantitrustmonopolizationinstagram+4 more
Facebook dismantles election safety measures immediately after the 2020 vote, prematurely rolling back safeguards designed to combat misinformation despite internal warnings. The decision enables “Stop the Steal” conspiracy theories to spread virally through the platform’s …
FacebookMark ZuckerbergFrances HaugenDonald TrumpCivic Integrity Teamfacebookelection-manipulationjanuary-6misinformationalgorithm-harm+5 more
Facebook employees stage an unprecedented virtual walkout protesting Mark Zuckerberg’s refusal to take action against Trump’s post threatening violence against protesters, stating “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.” The employee revolt exposes Facebook’s …
Mark ZuckerbergDonald TrumpFacebookFacebook EmployeesSheryl Sandbergfacebooktrumpincitementemployee-protestcontent-moderation+3 more
Facebook’s internal research definitively confirms that Instagram is toxic for teenage girls, causing body image issues, depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, but the company conceals these findings from the public while continuing to aggressively target youth users to drive engagement …
FacebookMark ZuckerbergInstagramWall Street JournalFrances Haugenfacebookinstagramteen-harmmental-healthbody-image+5 more
Mark Zuckerberg delivers major policy speech at Georgetown University announcing that Facebook will not fact-check political advertisements, effectively licensing the Trump campaign and other political actors to spread unlimited disinformation through paid advertising on the platform. The policy …
Mark ZuckerbergFacebookDonald TrumpJoe BidenTrump Campaignfacebookpolitical-adsmisinformationfree-speech-abusetrump-campaign+3 more
Mark Zuckerberg conducts secret, unreported meetings with Donald Trump, Jared Kushner, and Facebook board member Peter Thiel at the White House to negotiate content moderation policies and regulatory pressure. According to later reporting, Zuckerberg promises to avoid fact-checking political speech …
Mark ZuckerbergDonald TrumpJared KushnerPeter ThielFacebook+1 morefacebooktrump-administrationregulatory-capturepolitical-influencewhite-house+3 more
Facebook suspends Cambridge Analytica and parent company SCL from its platform following explosive revelations by whistleblower Christopher Wylie about systematic data harvesting affecting 87 million users. The suspension comes only after The Guardian and New York Times publish comprehensive exposés …
FacebookCambridge AnalyticaSCL GroupChristopher WylieThe Guardian+4 morefacebook-suspensionchristopher-wylie-whistleblowerregulatory-failureelectoral-manipulation-exposedinstitutional-accountability+3 more
Facebook reveals to Congress that Russian operatives bought $100,000 in political ads reaching millions of Americans, first admission of platform weaponization for foreign election interference, detailed in multiple congressional hearings and investigations throughout late 2017
FacebookInternet Research AgencyU.S. CongressRussian GovernmentMark Zuckerbergrussian-interferencefacebook-adselection-manipulationforeign-influenceplatform-weaponization+1 more
Facebook’s engagement-maximizing algorithm proactively amplifies Myanmar military’s anti-Rohingya hate speech and genocide propaganda, directly contributing to systematic ethnic cleansing that kills thousands and displaces over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims. The platform’s surveillance …
FacebookMark ZuckerbergMyanmar MilitaryRohingya MuslimsUnited Nations+1 morefacebookgenocidemyanmarrohingyaalgorithm-harm+6 more
Facebook embeds staff directly in Trump campaign headquarters in San Antonio, working side-by-side with campaign staff including Cambridge Analytica to optimize Facebook advertising for voter targeting and suppression. The unprecedented corporate-political coordination provides Trump’s …
FacebookBrad ParscaleTrump CampaignMark ZuckerbergCambridge Analyticafacebooktrump-campaignelection-manipulationcorporate-political-coordination2016-election+3 more
Facebook acquires WhatsApp for $19 billion, the largest tech acquisition to date, eliminating its primary competitor in mobile messaging and consolidating monopoly control over personal communications platforms. The FTC approves the acquisition without structural separation requirements despite …
FacebookMark ZuckerbergWhatsAppJan KoumBrian Acton+1 morefacebookwhatsappantitrustmergermonopolization+4 more
Facebook acquired photo-sharing app Instagram for billion, implementing what the FTC would later characterize as a ‘buy or bury’ strategy to eliminate competitive threats. Internal emails revealed CEO Mark Zuckerberg explicitly stated the acquisition was motivated by a desire to …
Facebook Inc.Mark ZuckerbergInstagram Inc.Kevin SystromMike Krieger+1 moreregulatory-capturetech-industryantitrustfacebookmeta+1 more
Digital Sky Technologies, primarily funded by Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov, invested $200 million in Facebook in May 2009, acquiring a 1.96% equity stake at a $10 billion valuation. The investment, led by CEO Yuri Milner, was accompanied by an additional offer to purchase $100 million in common …
Alisher UsmanovYuri MilnerMark ZuckerbergDigital Sky Technologiesfacebook-russiarussian-investmentsocial-media-influence