European Union, EU regulators today approved the merger of two major communication platforms, Facebook and WhatsApp, arguing that Facebook’s $19 billion purchase of the mobile messenger, WhatsApp, would not hamper competition.
EU Competition Commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, noted in a statement that, “while Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are two of the most popular apps, most people use more than one communications app,”
“We have carefully reviewed this proposed acquisition and come to the conclusion that it would not hamper competition in this dynamic and growing market.
“Consumers will continue to have a wide choice of consumer communications apps.”
It will be recalled that US regulators had approved the acquisition in April, but warned Facebook that it had to abide by WhatsApp’s stringent privacy practices. The social networking giant announced the acquisition of WhatsApp in February.
According to the European Commission which is EU’s executive organ, the Smartphone app is one of the most popular messaging platforms in cyberspace, with 600 million users worldwide.
The instant messaging service, popular in Europe, Latin America and parts of Asia, allows users to send text, pictures and video messages to anyone with the app.
Facebook, with 1.3 billion users, has its own texting app, known as Facebook Messenger, but the commission upon discovery that the two services are “not close competitors” approved the merger.
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