Now states taking lead in antitrust campaign against Facebook

(Image courtesy Pixabay)

Attorneys general from nine states have launched antitrust investigations against Facebook amid ongoing charges of privacy invasion, censorship of conservative viewpoints and monopolistic practices.

The Washington Examiner reports both Republicans and Democrats are on board the effort led by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

AGs from Florida, Iowa, Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, the District of Columbia, Tennessee and North Carolina are joining in the investigation of Facebook while investigations of another tech giant, Google, also are underway.

James issued a statement on the investigation.

TRENDING: Popular Fox News anchor fired for 'willful sexual misconduct'

"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.”

She said it is Facebook's "dominance in the industry and the potential anti-competitive conduct stemming from that dominance" that will be under review.

This summer, Facebook paid a $5 billion penalty over privacy issues after a Federal Trade Commission probe.

The FTC explained that in "the face of consumers' intent to limit information-sharing to a select few, Facebook ignored them and shared it broadly."

"Facebook did that despite its privacy promises, despite consumers' efforts to protect their privacy. Why? To further Facebook's financial interests."

Facebook also is facing a review from the federal government, which is investigating whether antitrust laws were breached when it bought out Instagram.

Google is facing an inquiry from the Justice Department, and several dozen state attorneys general have launched their own plan to review Google for antitrust violations.

The Examiner reported Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will lead the coalition's inquiry into Google's information and advertising practices."