The Federal Trade Commission's antitrust case against Big Tech giant Meta begins Monday in federal court in Washington, D.C. and could result in CEO Mark Zuckerberg having to sell Instagram and WhatsApp.

The federal watchdog agency filed the suit in 2020, when Meta was just Facebook, and claims the company bought Instagram and WhatsApp to squash competition and establish an illegal monopoly in the social media market, according to the Associated Press. 

The FCC further says Meta has maintained a monopoly by pursuing a strategy Zuckerberg articulated in 2008 of "It is better to buy than compete."

"True to that maxim," the FCC says, "Facebook has systematically tracked potential rivals and acquired companies that it viewed as serious competitive threats."

Meta already owned Facebook when it purchased Instagram in 2012 and WhatsApp in 2014.

Meta said in a statement: "The evidence at trial will show what every 17-year-old in the world knows: Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp compete with Chinese-owned TikTok, YouTube, X, iMessage and many others. 

"More than 10 years after the FTC reviewed and cleared our acquisitions, the Commission's action in this case sends the message that no deal is ever truly final. Regulators should be supporting American innovation, rather than seeking to break up a great American company and further advantaging China on critical issues like AI."