Meta Seeks Secret Information From Rivals, Over 100 Firms Subpoenaed in FTC Lawsuit

Meta has asked for secret details from several social media firms, including some of its rivals like Snap, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Clubhouse, according to a report. The firm is facing a 2020 US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit alleging that it monopolised the social media market. The firms have accused Meta of relying on the lawsuit to gain access to secret information about their services. The company could reportedly approach over 200 firms in total to provide information for litigation in the FTC’s lawsuit, which is expected to go to trial in 2024.

According to a Bloomberg report, Facebook parent Meta has subpoenaed 132 companies for secret documents, due to its the 2020 US FTC lawsuit that alleges its acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram allowed it to monopolise the social media market. Meta has reportedly stated that it could approach 100 other firms for information.

The attempt to subpoena information from companies like Clubhouse, a social audio app, and Instagram rival TikTok, appears to be one of the ways Meta wants to illustrate the entry of new players in the US market, according to the report.

TikTok has exploded in popularity in recent months, and competes with Instagram and other short video services in the US. Meanwhile, several other companies have added Clubhouse’s social audio features to their services, such as Twitter’s Spaces feature.

Citing court filings, the report states that Meta is looking for documents related to sensitive details of how the firm’s competition acquires users, scales their products, and monetise various features. 

A federal judge in California was expected to decide how much information Meta’s rival Snap was required to provide in the case, as per the report, which states that the company has opposed the request to hand over data that goes back to the formation of the company.

According to the report, several other companies have also been asked to turn over secret information, including social media, communication service providers, and software firms like Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snap, TikTok, Match, Twitter, Reddit, and Oracle. The list reportedly includes foreign firms like Line, Naver, and Rakuten.