What to expect as Facebook battles US lawsuits over its market power

The US Federal Trade Commission’s and states’ twin complaints against Facebook come on the heels of a major lawsuit filed by the government against Alphabet’s Google in October and kicks off what is likely to be a long legal battle.

Here are some answers to key questions about the case

What are the allegations against Facebook?

One of the allegations against Facebook is that it strategically seeks to buy potential rivals, often at a big premium, before they have a chance to grow. For example, Facebook bought Instagram in 2012, which at the time had no revenue and a handful of employees but an impressive number of users.