WASHINGTON (AP) Federal regulators on Wednesday sued to force a breakup of Facebook as 48 states and districts accused the company in a separate lawsuit of abusing its market power in social networking to crush smaller competitors.

The landmark antitrust lawsuits, announced by the Federal Trade Commission and New York Attorney General Letitia James, mark the second major government offensive this year against seemingly untouchable tech behemoths. The Justice Department sued Google in October for abusing its dominance in online search and advertising the governments most significant attempt to buttress competition since its historic case against Microsoft two decades ago. Amazon and Apple also have been under investigation in Congress and by federal authorities for alleged anticompetitive conduct.

In the current case, the FTC specifically asked a court to force Facebook to sell off its Instagram and WhatsApp messaging services. James echoed that idea in more general terms, noting at a press conference that its really critically important that we block this predatory acquisition of companies and that we restore confidence to the market.

The FTC said Facebook has engaged in a a systematic strategy to eliminate its competition, including by purchasing smaller up-and-coming rivals like Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014. James echoed that in her press conference, saying Facebook used its monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users.

The FTC fined Facebook $5 billion in 2019 for privacy violations and instituted new oversight and restrictions on its business. The fine was the largest the agency has ever levied on a tech company, although it had no visible impact on Facebooks business.

Facebook called the government actions revisionist history that punishes successful businesses and noted that the FTC cleared the Instagram and WhatsApp acquisitions years ago. The government now wants a do-over, sending a chilling warning to American business that no sale is ever final, Facebook general counsel Jennifer Newstead said in a statement that echoed the companys response to a recent congressional antitrust probe.

Facebook is the worlds biggest social network with 2.7 billion users and a company with a market value of nearly $800 billion whose CEO Mark Zuckerberg is the worlds fifth-richest individual and the most public face of Big Tech swagger.