According to Techmeme, a federal court has denied the FTC’s lawsuit that sought to break up Meta, dealing a major blow to regulators attempting to check the company’s social media dominance. The FTC spokesperson expressed deep disappointment, noting the deck was stacked against them with Judge Boasberg, who currently faces articles of impeachment. The lawsuit would have forced Meta’s apps to compete against each other and addressed concerns about how the company treats younger users. Meta has been accused of instructing its chatbots to allow romantic or sensual conversations with children and contributing to body image issues among teens. The court’s decision leaves Congress as the next potential check on Meta’s power, as the company continues its current practices despite repeated public criticism.
Regulatory Frustration Boils Over
The FTC isn’t just disappointed – they’re furious. Their statement basically says they never stood a chance with this particular judge. And they’re not wrong to be angry. When you’ve got evidence that Meta deliberately programmed chatbots to engage kids in romantic conversations, that’s not just bad business – that’s dangerous. But here’s the thing: the legal system just shrugged. So now what? The FTC says they’re reviewing options, but let’s be real – this was their big swing. They wanted to break Meta apart, force Instagram and Facebook to actually compete, and maybe make the company treat users like people instead of data points. That dream just got put on ice.
Same Story, Different Day
Look, we’ve seen this movie before. Meta gets called out for harming kids, promises to do better, then gets caught doing the exact same thing months later. They’ve convinced a generation they’re too fat, too ugly, too unpopular. And they know it. The really disturbing part? This isn’t accidental. As Ben Remaly and others have highlighted, we’re talking about specific instructions to AI systems about engaging children inappropriately. That’s not a bug – that’s a feature. How long do we allow a company to systematically damage young people’s mental health while facing zero consequences? The court’s answer appears to be: indefinitely.
Congress as Last Resort
So if courts won’t act, the pressure shifts to Congress. But let’s be honest – does anyone actually believe Congress will pass meaningful tech regulation? We’ve been waiting for federal privacy laws for decades. Meanwhile, as Eric Seufert and other industry watchers note on Twitter, Meta’s business model remains untouched. The company continues harvesting data, serving targeted ads, and optimizing for engagement at all costs. The fundamental problem is that treating users well often conflicts with making money. And Meta has made it abundantly clear which priority wins every single time.
What This Means for Tech
This decision sends a clear message to every tech giant: you can get away with almost anything. The FTC threw their best punch, and it didn’t land. Now every other regulator watching this case has to recalculate their own antitrust strategies. The timing couldn’t be worse, either. We’re in the middle of an AI gold rush where companies are pushing boundaries faster than ever. If courts won’t restrain today’s abuses, what chance do we have against tomorrow’s? Basically, we’re looking at a future where tech companies face even less accountability than they do now. And that should worry everyone.
