Facebook on the hook as states launch competition, privacy probe

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A coalition of states attorneys general is joining together to launch yet another antitrust probe of Facebook, joining several investigations already in progress.

"I'm launching an investigation into Facebook to determine whether their actions endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers' choices, or increased the price of advertising," New York attorney general Letitia James said this morning. "The largest social media platform in the world must follow the law."

The bipartisan group will determine whether Facebook used its market dominance to unfairly stifle competition. It will also examine if Facebook took anticompetitive actions that harm consumer data and privacy, "the quality of consumers' choices," and pricing in the digital advertising market. Attorneys general for Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, and the District of Columbia are also participating, James's office said in a press release.

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