On August 15, 2006, Facebook launched its long-awaited development platform and API. Version 1.0 of the Facebook Development Platform provided developers access to Facebook friends, photos, events, and profile information. The API used a RESTful protocol, with responses formatted in XML.
Developers quickly began building social applications, games, and mashups using the new tools. This platform gave Facebook a competitive edge over MySpace and helped it establish dominance as the top social gaming platform with titles like Farmville.
As Facebook grew more dominant in the social media space it began acquiring startups from within it’s developer ecosystem, purchasing the leading competitors for images (Instagram) and for messages (WhatsApp), eventually getting the attention of federal regulators in the U.S. federal government.