KEY POINTS
  • Facebook has changed its corporate logo to a minimalist rendering of the Facebook name, a move the company said is meant to separate the wider corporation -- and its subsidiaries like WhatsApp and Instagram -- from the core Facebook social network. 

Facebook has changed its corporate logo to a minimalist rendering of the Facebook name, a move the company said is meant to separate the wider corporation -- and its subsidiaries like WhatsApp and Instagram -- from the Facebook social network, sometimes known internally as the "big blue app."

The move comes as Facebook faces criticism from lawmakers and advocates for its privacy practices, and concerns that the data collection that's common on the Facebook platform may bleed over into its other businesses. The company is also facing antitrust scrutiny in part because of its future plans to knit together the capabilities of its other holdings. Some politicians, including Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren, have called for a forced divestiture of Instagram and other acquisitions, which CEO and controlling shareholder Mark Zuckerberg have strongly resisted.