Facebook's 'monopoly' must be split up, US and states say in major lawsuits

Prosecutor says company has used power to crush rivals', with allegations centered on acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp

The US government and a coalition of 48 states and districts have filed parallel lawsuits against Facebook in a major antitrust offensive that accused the social media behemoth of anticompetitive behavior and could ultimately force its breakup.

At the heart of both antitrust actions, announced on Wednesday, is Facebook's dominance of the social media landscape, and whether the company gobbled up potential competitors and blocked market access to others that could have eaten into its staggering market share.