Facebook Sued by FTC andbr 48 State Attorneys Generalbr in Twin Lawsuits .br On Wednesday, a coalition of 48 state attorneys generalbr came forward to launch a lawsuit against Facebook.br Led by New York Attorney General Letitia James,br the group alleges that Facebook has been stiflingbr competition to protect its “monopoly power.” .br For nearly a decade, Facebook has usedbr its dominance and monopoly power tobr crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition,br all at the expense of everyday users, Letitia James, via ABC News.br James also said Facebook has used itsbr suppression of competition to “take advantage of users”br and “make millions” by selling personal data.br The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)br also launched their own lawsuit againstbr Facebook on Wednesday. .br The separate lawsuit alleges that Facebookbr has maintained its “monopoly” through the illegalbr use of anticompetitive practices. .br Our aim is to roll back Facebook’s anticompetitivebr conduct and restore competition so that innovationbr and free competition can thrive, Ian Conner, director of FTC’s Bureau of Competition, via ABC News.br The FTC’s lawsuit names Facebook’s acquisitionbr of Instagram and WhatsApp as examples of unfairlybr wielding its monopoly power. .br Facebook Vice President and General Counsel Jennifer Newsteadbr has since responded, saying antitrust laws don’tbr exist to “punish successful businesses.” .br Instagram and WhatsApp became thebr incredible products they are todaybr because Facebook invested billions of dollars,br and years of innovation and expertise, Jennifer Newstead, via ABC News.br She also accused the governmentbr of wanting a “do-over,” as they initiallybr cleared the acquisitions years ago.