State attorneys general launch antitrust investigations of Facebook and Google

Nine state attorneys general launched an antitrust investigation of social media giant Facebook on Friday, and three dozen state attorneys general will launch another inquiry into global technology firm Alphabet’s biggest subsidiary, Google, on Monday.

The bipartisan effort announced Friday is led by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James, joined by the top legal officers of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia.

“I am proud to be leading a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general in investigating whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk,” James said in a news release. “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.”

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