Decoded: Why Facebook is being sued by the US government and 48 states

Facebook may have to sell Instagram and WhatsApp

The US government and more than 40 states have sued Facebook for illegally crushing competitors and demanded the company undo its acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp. 

What’s the argument from the government and from Facebook?

There’s a legal reason Instagram and WhatsApp are at the heart of the state and federal lawsuits. Trying to reduce competition by purchasing rivals is an explicit violation of America’s antitrust laws. That’s exactly what government lawyers say Facebook did and will keep doing.

The tricky thing, however, is that the government had given Facebook permission to buy Instagram and WhatsApp in 2012 and 2014. Facebook’s argument is