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Report: State attorneys general to launch joint probe of tech companies

A group of state attorneys general will initiate a joint antitrust probe of big technology companies as early as next month, The Wall Street Journal reported Aug. 19, citing people familiar with the matter.

The investigation will reportedly focus on tech giants such as Facebook Inc., Apple Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google LLC and whether they stifle competition. State attorneys are likely to issue civil investigative demands to tech companies and other firms, sources said.

The political makeup of the multistate group, which will include both Republicans and Democrats, is yet to be specified.

A group of state attorneys general met with top officials of the U.S. Department of Justice in July to discuss concerns about lack of competition in the tech industry. Attorney General William Barr, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen and Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, who heads the DoJ's antitrust division, were in attendance at the meeting, sources said. The Justice Department has already announced its own antitrust review of the companies.

The news comes at a time when there is mounting pressure on major tech companies. In February, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced the formation of a task force to monitor competition in U.S. technology markets.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a 2020 U.S. presidential candidate, unveiled a plan in March, calling for undoing previously approved mergers from Facebook, Amazon and Google.

In July, the FTC voted to impose an approximately $5 billion fine on Facebook in connection with the company's privacy breaches and user data practices.