New York Attorney General Letitia James launched a multi - state antitrust investigating into Facebook on Friday , applying a new layer of plaguy regulative examination to the dirt - ridden social web .
The launch of the probe come amid greater Union and state supervising of major technology companies , include Facebook , Google , Amazon , and Apple . The state - floor probe will essay a wide range of Facebook ’s activities , admit its handling of drug user data , its issue on consumer choice , and the cost of advertising , New York ’s lawyer general said in astatement .
“ Even the largest social culture medium chopine in the world must follow the law and respect consumers . I am proud to be head a bipartizan coalition of attorneys general in investigating whether Facebook has stifled contention and put users at peril , ” James enounce . “ We will apply every fact-finding puppet at our garbage disposal to determine whether Facebook ’s action may have endanger consumer data , melt off the lineament of consumers ’ choices , or increase the price of advertising . ”
Photo: Justin Sullivan (Getty)
Facebook did not immediately respond to our request for input .
In gain to James , attorneys ecumenical from Colorado , Florida , Iowa , Nebraska , North Carolina , Ohio , Tennessee , and the District of Columbia will be on the investigating ’s leadership team , according to James ’ agency .
This investigation adds to action mechanism at the federal level that set out in heartfelt this summer . On July 23 , the U.S. Department of Justiceannouncedthat it hasbegun an grand investigationinto “ market - run on-line platforms ” to find whether they “ are engaging in practices that have reduce competition , stifled innovation , or otherwise harm consumers . ”
The following day , Facebookconfirmedthat it is face antimonopoly probe from both the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice . That Revelation of Saint John the Divine came on the heels of the FTC’sannouncementearlier the same day that it had fined Facebook a phonograph record $ 5 billion for privacy infringement in part staunch from theCambridge Analyticascandal . While the Republican - lead FTC characterized its colonization with Facebook as “ historical ” and increased restrictions on the company ’s secrecy and transparency pattern as “ wholesale , ” the punishment was seen asinadequate by Democrats .
province - horizontal surface action against major tech firms is reportedly not set to Facebook . Google is alsoexpectedto face an investigation from “ more than half ” the res publica attorneys oecumenical , allot to theWashington Post . That inquiry will reportedly be announced on Monday .
Despite the flurry of attention from regulator , major tech companies have yet to suffer any hold out event that interrupt their business or meaningfully cut into their bottom lines . Indeed , Facebook ’s ancestry pricejumped 1.8 percentafter the FTC divulge its amercement . Maybe this one will adhere ?
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