Facebook now faces antitrust probe from 47 states
Attorneys general from 47 U.S. states and territories plan to join a New York-led antitrust probe into Facebook, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Tuesday.
The multi-state investigation into the social media behemoth first began in September but has rapidly expanded since then.
"Our investigation now has the support of 47 attorneys general from around the nation, who are all concerned that Facebook may have put consumer data at risk, reduced the quality of consumers’ choices, and increased the price of advertising," James said in a statement.
The broad bipartisan suit comes amid increased federal scrutiny on Facebook, and the role it plays in American elections.
The Federal Trade Commission also announced a separate antitrust investigation into the company in July, as lawmakers across the political aisle question whether big tech needs to be broke up. In July, Facebook agreed to pay a record $5 billion fine for privacy violations.
The DOJ, at the end of July, opened a sweeping investigation into big tech to determine whether their online platforms have hurt competition, suppressed innovation or otherwise hurt consumers.
“Without the discipline of meaningful market-based competition, digital platforms may act in ways that are not responsive to consumer demands,” DOJ antitrust head Makan Delrahim said in a statement at the time. “The department’s antitrust review will explore these important issues.”
Attorneys from Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the territory of Guam joined the suit.