US states announce antitrust probe of Facebook

In the United States, a coalition of states announced today an antitrust investigation of Facebook.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James released a statement announcing the action on behalf of seven other states and the District of Columbia to probe whether Facebook has stifled competition and put users at risk. The move marks the first official US antitrust action against one of the big tech companies -- although a landmark case had targeted Microsoft back in the 1990s.

Ms James said, even the largest social media platform in the world must follow the law and respect consumers. She said that they will use



every investigative tool at their disposal to determine whether Facebook's actions may have endangered consumer data, reduced the quality of consumers' choices, or increased the price of advertising. Attorney General of Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, and Tennessee also joined.

It was not immediately clear if the states would be working in coordination with federal officials.

Facebook, by far the largest social network, in the past has claimed it is not a monopoly and that consumers have many choices for how to connect with people online.