Facebook antitrust investigation by New York Attorney General



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The survey is expected to focus primarily on Facebook's impact on advertising prices, data and consumer privacy, as well as on previous acquisitions of the company, including Instagram and WhatsApp.

"I'm proud to lead a coalition of bipartisan attorneys general to determine if Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk," James said in a statement. "We will use all the investigative tools at our disposal to determine whether Facebook's actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumer choice or increased the price of advertising."

The multi-state coalition includes Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee, James said. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Announcement comes days before dozens of Texas-led states launch a separate antitrust investigation Google (GOOG) and its advertising practices, two sources close to the subject have already explained to CNN Business, in another survey that adds pressure to the largest platforms of Silicon Valley.
Dozens of states are preparing an antitrust investigation into Google's advertising practices
This investigation is expected to be announced Sept. 9 near the US Supreme Court, according to one of the sources. The Washington Post was the first to report the planned announcement.

"We continue to work constructively with regulators, including Attorneys General, to answer questions about our company and the dynamic technology sector," a Google spokesman told CNN Business in a statement.

States could soon call on other companies, either as targets of other investigations or as witnesses.

"With all the investigations underway, there will be several cases against several defendants on several theories [of harm]"said the other source.

The wave of state polls highlights widespread concerns among policymakers that key players in Silicon Valley could harm competition. The House Judiciary has launched a "top-down" antitrust investigation on Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. Meanwhile, the Department of Justice is conducting an antitrust review of Canada's largest technology companies.

A number of states have recently met with Justice Department Chief Justice Department Makan Delrahim to discuss Big Tech following the Department of Justice's announcement of its re-examination. . Last month, at a conference in Aspen, Delrahim acknowledged that his office was coordinating its activities with states.

Google and the FTC reach $ 170 million settlement for alleged violations of children and children by YouTube privacy

The states themselves have not hesitated to investigate technology companies. Herbert Slatery III, Attorney General of Tennessee, said at a conference in Omaha, Nebraska in June that "a government-driven structural change may well be needed" to tackle some of the harms caused by the technology sector.

At the same conference, Louisiana's Attorney General Jeff Landry criticized Google for its dominant position in online advertising, saying the company had the power to make it ineffective and impractical for advertisers who want to use another platform.

"Google picks winners and losers because the system is good for them," Landry said. "Continuing on this path will end the online publication or Google will control who stays and who goes away."

Tennessee, as well as Nebraska and Louisiana, have been widely regarded as leaders in an antitrust effort against the technology sector, at least at the state level. But Texas will be the main state at Monday's announcement, said one of the sources.

The impending US investigation is not the only sign of worsening headaches due to antitrust laws in Silicon Valley. On Tuesday, the antitrust committee of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced its own technology-focused antitrust hearing focused on business acquisitions by major platforms such as Facebook and Google.

Senator Mike Lee, a Republican chairing the subcommittee, said in a statement that tech giants can often use these acquisitions to improve competition. But, he added, "they also risk eliminating the very competition that could call into question the leading position of the company in place in the future".

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