Govt breakup of Instagram, WhatsApp would be 'complete nonstarter': FB

A government effort to break up Facebook from Instagram and WhatsApp would defy established law, cost billions of dollars and harm consumers, according to a paper company lawyers have prepared in the wake of rising antitrust legal threats.

The 14-page document, produced by lawyers at Sidley Austin LLP and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, offers a preview of the social-media giant’s defense as federal antitrust enforcers and members of Congress continue to pursue investigations into Facebook’s power and past competitive behavior. Probes of other technology companies such as Alphabet’s Google, Amazon.com and Apple are also ongoing. 

Meanwhile, the House Judiciary subcommittee on antitrust held its seventh and final hearing in a series examining the health of competition in digital markets and the business practices of Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google.