Two points: 1.) The US FTC really needs to update its working definition of a monopoly. “Consumer welfare” is normally shown via price and since free services

Two points: 1.) The US FTC really needs to update its working definition of a monopoly. “Consumer welfare” is normally shown via price and since free services are always free, it’s a tough thing to argue. 2.) Facebook owns about 70% of the social networking space, and Google and Facebook have a virtual lock on online advertising. Moreover, through its share buttons, Facebook has created a web full of data gathering - the sheer amount of information they have makes them very hard to compete against. Add in some regulatory issues in the Instagram and Whatsapp regulations and there’s an image of a company that’s just about impossible to compete against and that has used its clout to bring net harm to consumers.