State attorneys general filed an appeal Wednesday in the DC district court over the dismissal of their antitrust case against Facebook, reported The Hill.
“We filed this notice of appeal because we disagree with the court’s decision and must hold Facebook accountable for stifling competition, reducing innovation, and cutting privacy protections. We can no longer allow Facebook to profit off of exploiting consumer data,” New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) said in a statement.
James led a coalition of state attorneys general in filing the appeal a month after a federal judge dismissed the case entirely.
The states argued that Facebook violated Section 2 of the Sherman Act by blocking interoperability for certain apps. The argument was dismissed by Judge James E. Boasberg, an Obama-era nominee, because the actions took place more than five years ago.
“We believe the District Court’s decision dismissing the states’ complaint is correct and look forward to defending the District Court’s decision before the Court of Appeals,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement.
Along with the state-led effort, Facebook is facing an antitrust lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that is centered around allegations regarding the company’s previously approved acquisitions of WhatsApp and Instagram.
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