New York State Attorney General Letitia James hasn’t wasted any time since getting into office earlier this year. James has just announced she is launching a multistate probe into Facebook for possible antitrust violations.
Attorneys general of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and the District of Columbia will also participate in the investigation.
The probe will focus “on Facebook’s dominance in the industry and the potential anticompetitive conduct stemming from that dominance,” according to a press release.
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“Even the largest social media platform in the world must follow the law and respect consumers,” James said in a statement. “I am proud to be leading a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in investigating whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk. We will use every investigative tool at our disposal to determine whether Facebook’s actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers’ choices, or increased the price of advertising.”
It’s been a trying time for Facebook as it is also under a federal investigation as well. Other online sites are also being looked into as well.
“The news comes as more than 30 state attorney generals are expected to launch a separate probe into Google over antitrust concerns, according to a source familiar with the matter,” CNBC reported.
The Texas state attorney general will lead the Google investigation, which will focus on the company’s effect on digital advertising markets and possible consumer harm, a source told The Wall Street Journal.
