Will Facebook be forced to sell Instagram and WhatsApp, and what would it mean for me?

Facebook has been hit by lawsuits by the US government and nearly every US state, in a development that could fundamentally change how the company works.

The lawsuits relate to the running of Facebook, accusing it of using its purchase of Instagram and WhatsApp to unfairly dominate the tech industry. It suggests that the three different apps should be broken up, in what would amount to one of the most substantial alterations to the technology industry ever.

But such a change would also have a profound impact on anyone who uses Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram. And, in recent times, Facebook has made changes that mean the significance of any change is always getting higher.

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg is reported to have said that an attempt to break up the company could be an “existential” threat, and that it would “go to the mat” to fight it, in comments that make clear just how much is at stake in the new lawsuits.