Life-sized cutouts of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg are displayed by an advocacy group on Capitol Hill on April 10, 2018. | Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
Started in 2004 as a project to connect Harvard students, Facebook now has 2.74 billion active users worldwide and owns three of the 10 most popular mobile apps — Facebook, Instagram and Facebook Messenger.
And, state and federal regulators allege, it has grown into a corporate threat that uses its power to scoop up rivals and strangle competition.
Here's how the social network has evolved:
Feb. 4, 2004
The landing page of Facebook when it debuted in 2004. | Thefacebook
June 2004
Entrepreneur Peter Thiel speaks in Cleveland in 2016. | J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
July 29, 2004
Founding President of Facebook and co-founder of Napster and Plaxo Sean Parker speaks during a panel discussion on Sept. 22, 2008. | Alex Wong/Getty Images
October 2005
Sept. 26, 2006
Jan. 10, 2007
Social networking site Facebook is displayed on a mobile phone. | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
May 2007
March 2008
Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's chief operating officer, speaks on Dec. 2, 2011 in New York City. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images
February 2009
The WhatsApp messenger app is shown. | AP Photo
December 2009
February 2010
Oct. 1, 2010
Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg are pictured in a still from the film "The Social Network." | POLITICO Screengrab
Oct. 6, 2010
June 28, 2011
Vic Gundotra, Google Senior Vice President of Engineering, talks about Google Plus at the 2012 Google I/O conference in San Francisco. | Paul Sakuma/AP Photo
Aug. 9, 2011
Nov. 29, 2011
President Barack Obama, accompanied by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaks during a town hall meeting on April 20, 2011 | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo
Apr. 3, 2012
April 9, 2012
An Instagram photo is shared with Facebook on an iPhone Monday, April 9, 2012. | Karly Domb Sadof/AP Photo
May 12, 2012
The Facebook logo appears on a display inside the NASDAQ Marketsite on May 17, 2012. | CX Matiash/AP Photo
Aug. 22, 2012
October 2012
Jan. 24, 2013
Zuckerberg commented on the National Security Agency's surveillance tactics during a 2013 interview.
March 2013
Oct. 13, 2013
Fall 2013
Snapchat CEO Evan Spiegel poses for a photo in Los Angeles on Oct. 24, 2013. | Jae C. Hong/AP Photo
Feb. 19, 2014
March 13, 2014
March 25, 2014
Adriana Ojeda uses an Oculus headset at Facebook's F8 Developer Conference on April 18, 2017 in San Jose, Calif. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
April 10, 2014
April 28, 2015
Aug. 5, 2015
Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies before the House Financial Services Committee on October 23, 2019. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Mid-2016
Facebook executives approach the group video chatting network Houseparty about an acquisition and are rebuffed.
October 2016
Oct. 3, 2016
Sheryl Sandberg said in 2016 that Facebook does not think fake news "swayed the election."
May 18, 2017
June 27, 2017
Zuckerberg in 2017 announced a series of policy changes and efforts to cooperate with the U.S. government to curb election interference.
March 17, 2018
March 26, 2018
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives to testify before a joint hearing of the Commerce and Judiciary Committees on April 10, 2018. | Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo
April 10, 2018
October 2018
October 2018
Feb. 6, 2019
Zuckerberg addressed Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy on Oct. 17, 2019. He defended Facebook's "free expression."
July 24, 2019
Facebook confirms the FTC is investigating the company over alleged antitrust violations.
Sept. 6, 2019
New York Attorney General Tish James speaks during a press conference in New York City. | Getty Images
Feb. 11, 2020
May 15, 2020
July 29, 2020
Dec. 9, 2020
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