The attorneys general of at least eight states and the District of Columbia are investigating whether Facebook Inc. abused its dominant market position to engage in anti-competitive behavior.
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the joint probe Sept. 6. "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," James said in a news release.
State attorneys general from D.C., Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee will join James on the leadership team investigating the probe, according to the release.
The announcement comes amid reports that a majority of state attorneys general are preparing to begin an antitrust investigation into Alphabet Inc.'s Google LLC. An announcement on the Google probe is expected Sept. 9. The probe will reportedly be led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Antitrust scrutiny is mounting for large tech platforms at the federal level as well. Facebook in July disclosed that it was being investigated by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for antitrust concerns, shortly after it agreed to pay a $5 billion fine to settle FTC-documented privacy violations.
The FTC announced in February that it had formed a task force to monitor competition in U.S. technology markets.
