Is Facebook A Monopoly? 47 Attorneys General Investigating Antitrust Issues

New York Attorney General Letitia James said Tuesday 46 other states have joined Albany’s antitrust investigation of Facebook.

“After continued bipartisan conversations with attorneys general from around the country, today I am announcing that we have vastly expanded the list of states, districts, and territories investigating Facebook for potential antitrust violations,” James said in a press release.

“Our investigation now has the support of 47 attorneys general from around the nation, who are all concerned that Facebook may have put consumer data at risk, reduced the quality of consumers’ choices, and increased the price of advertising.”

The announcement came a day after Facebook announced it had removed a network of Russia-backed accounts favoring President Trump and attacking former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination.

New York initiated the investigation last month and at the time was joined by Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and the District of Columbia. On Tuesday, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming, as well as Guam, joined the inquiry.

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said he is increasingly concerned about the internet domination of “a few major tech companies.”

“When companies in any industry get too big and too powerful, they can use that power to harm their consumers and to damage markets,” Stein said.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said social media is “a critical part of doing business” so any effort by Facebook to stifle competition could “cause wide-ranging harm to smaller companies, restrict consumer choice and increase costs for all.”

Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry said “Big Tech” must account for its actions and cannot be allowed to “hide behind complexity and complicity.”

“Our personal data is the biggest commodity in today’s online economy and … it is my duty to ensure Michigan residents’ personal data doesn’t continue to be pillaged in a monopolist’s quest to control social media and advertising markets,” Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel added.