Source: U.S. Federal Trade Commission

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Facebook. This is reported on the FTC website.

According to the regulator, Facebook "illegally maintains a personal monopoly on social networks," for many years adhering to a "systematic strategy" that includes acquiring "promising competitors."

The FTC's lawsuit asks the court to order Facebook to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, and then seek approval for deals similar to the purchase of those services.

Prosecutors in 46 states and prosecutors in the District of Columbia and Guam joined the FTC's lawsuit.

Facebook bought WhatsApp messenger in 2014 for $19 billion. The photo-sharing service Instagram social network bought in 2012 for a billion dollars.

In May 2019, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, in a column for the New York Times, suggested splitting Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp into independent companies and called on the U.S. government to limit the influence of the social network.