The social network has a long history of defending its own content against rivals.
That has paid off handsomely for Facebook in recent years.
But the tech giant’s antitrust case is getting attention from investors.
Facebook’s latest lawsuit against rival Twitter and Alphabet’s Google has a lot to do with the size of the companies’ social media operations.
Facebook owns more than a billion unique Facebook users, according to a recent study by Zillow.
That makes it a dominant player in social media.
Twitter’s monthly active userbase stands at more than 15 million.
Google has more than 25 million users.
And Facebook has almost 30 million, according in recent reports.
It’s not surprising, then, that Facebook is suing those rivals over the size and reach of its online social media network.
Facebook has long argued that its platform has helped grow its audience, especially its video and news content.
In its latest lawsuit, Facebook alleges that the “social network and its competitors have exploited the breadth and depth of their reach on Facebook to manipulate and monetize the reach and engagement of Facebook users and advertisers.”
Facebook also argues that “some of its rivals’ content, including its videos, has been used to manipulate Facebook ads, which have been purchased by other competitors for use on Facebook.”
Facebook’s lawsuit is not the first time the company has argued that Facebook’s network has helped it grow its user base.
The company has also claimed that its content and advertising has helped Facebook win back users after losing them.
Facebook filed its lawsuit on Oct. 1.
The lawsuit argues that the networks “knowingly and willfully deceived users, advertisers and consumers by engaging in practices that artificially and detrimentally impacted their ability to make and receive Facebook ads.”
The complaint also accuses Facebook of engaging in “false and misleading” advertising that “created an incentive for Facebook users to engage with Facebook ads in ways that Facebook users themselves chose to do.”
Facebook says that the complaint also argues “that Facebook’s advertising programs have resulted in artificially low or no ad impressions for users and that this artificially low ad impressions have impacted the network’s bottom line.”
Facebook has also alleged that the lawsuit “contradicts Facebook’s longstanding commitment to providing accurate and timely information about its advertising programs to advertisers and to consumers.”
Facebook will be able to prove that it did “not mislead users” with “the false statements in the complaint,” according to the lawsuit.
In addition to claiming that Facebook misled users, Facebook also contends that it “failed to provide truthful and complete information to users, as well as to advertisers, about the programs it was implementing.”
The company will also be able “to show that its competitors’ programs have also deceived users.”
It’s unclear what will happen in the case.
The court has said it is “open to resolving this lawsuit in a way that will maximize the benefits to Facebook from its business operations, while ensuring that Facebook remains competitive.”
But, Facebook has been accused of antitrust violations before.
In 2014, the social network settled a class-action lawsuit filed by Facebook users who said they had been misled about the amount of advertising Facebook offers to its users.
In that case, Facebook agreed to pay a $30 million settlement.
And earlier this year, Facebook settled a lawsuit filed in 2014 by two former Facebook employees alleging that Facebook cheated them out of money they earned on their job postings and paid them bonuses in exchange for not posting as many ads on Facebook.
The former employees, including former Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, claimed that they were fired for “disrespecting” Facebook’s “community standards” and “misrepresenting” the company’s advertising strategy.
Zuckerberg has since stepped down as Facebook’s CEO.
In a statement, Facebook said it would “be happy to cooperate with our plaintiffs’ attorneys in this matter.”
The social media giant’s lawsuit against Twitter and Google is expected to go before a federal court in the coming weeks.
